


Detention for love

by casualheda



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Clarke, Elementary School, F/F, Fluff, Minor Octavia Blake/Lincoln, rated T then M for later chapters, separated parents, teacher lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 11:04:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 88,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7312480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualheda/pseuds/casualheda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke would have never guessed that being called in the principal office because of her son would actually change her life...for the better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Clexa fic, i hope you will enjoy it! ;)

Clarke was walking quickly to the entrance of her son's school. She had been called in the middle of the afternoon while she was working on a project at the studio. It was a first for Clarke to be asked to come to the school to see the principal. It wasn't like her son to cause any trouble. The school secretary accompanied her to the principal's office, she sat on a bench outside. It felt like ages ago that Clarke herself was called into the principal's office, she wasn't a stranger to it.

Clarke could never forget the time Raven and her mixed up the wrong components together in science and it resulted with the classroom being completely filled with a thick grey smoke and the fire alarm going off. Of course Raven knew what mixing these things would do and Clarke helped her anyway. They ended up being in detention for a month. Clarke smiled at the memory before turning her attention back to the door in front of her.

The blonde tried to hear what was said in the office but the thick walls didn't let any sound through. She took a minute to look at herself using her phone as a mirror, her hair was tied in a messy bun and she was dressed in ripped jeans and a band shirt, her clothes were tainted with paint, '' _Not looking very serious and parental here Griffin_ '' she said to herself, sighing, she didn't have time to change before coming to the school. She put her phone back in her pocket when she heard footsteps on the wooden floor of the hallway. A tall woman dressed in a tailored suit was walking toward her with her head high, glancing at her with disdain. She came to sit next to her, not saying a word. Clarke knew her, Nia Frost, her daughter Ontari was in her son's class. She never actually talked to the woman, she gave you that impression of being too good for you to talk to.

"Good afternoon." said Mrs Frost coldly.

"Good afternoon" answered Clarke not sure if she was supposed to start a conversation or just stay there quietly.

Thankfully the decision was made for her when the door of the office cracked open and a brunette dressed in a white shirt and black pants appeared. She looked pretty young, around Clarke's age, the blonde couldn't stop herself to think that the woman was gorgeous, she had a sharp jawline and beautiful green eyes. She blinked when she saw Nia standing in front of her and did the same.

"Mrs Frost and Mrs Griffin, if you would follow me." called the brunette gesturing for them to enter the office.

Clarke followed Nia and the brunette closed the door behind them after she shook hands with both women. Aden was seated in a chair an ice bag on the left side of his face, her heart sank when she saw her baby hurt, she wanted nothing more than to go hug him. She glanced to the girl next to him, Ontari, Nia's daughter was holding an icepack on her jaw. Clarke smiled internally when she saw that her son defended himself against Ontari. She knew violence wasn't a solution but Ontari had been bothering and teasing him for a year now and she was glad he stood up for himself.

Dante Wallace, the principal of the school stood up to greet the mothers then gestured for them to sit. The brunette stayed up next to Wallace's desk with her hands behind her back.

"Mrs Frost. Mrs Griffin. I am sorry to see you under those circumstances but during sport practice this afternoon an incident involving your children occurred."

"What happened?" asked Nia sharply, turning her head to Ontari who lowered her eyes.

"We were playing basketball when Ontari and Aden started to fight. I separated them and got them into the infirmary before informing Mr Wallace of what happened. None of them wanted to tell us the reason why they were fighting." answered the brunette.

"Who started the fight?" questioned Nia.

"Mrs Frost this isn't the problem here..." began the brunette.

"Ms Woods you're supposed to be their teacher and educator, you're supposed to prevent these kind of events to happen. I think the problem here is you failing at this."

Ms Woods, she was the new teacher Aden talked about all the time. She arrived at the school at the beginning of the school year. Clarke felt guilty for a second because she didn't know who was the brunette before this moment, she had been so caught up in her art, working on her new exposition, Aden's dad was always the one picking their son up. Clarke shook her head coming back to reality and glanced at the brunette, if looks could kill Nia would be dead by now. Ms Woods had her arms crossed and her jaw was clenched tightly.

"Mrs Frost i can assure you Ms Woods is a great addition to our education team, we don't just hire anybody, our school has certain standards, that's why i hope an incident like this one won't happen again, it's only November and you know the school does not tolerate violence or bullying. If you would talk to your children at home and try to understand what happened in order to prevent this to occur again i would be very glad. After all the duty of a parent is also to educate their children and not only let the teachers do it for them" said Dante Wallace calmly.

At his words Clarke laughed internally, this principal clearly didn't like the tone Mrs Frost used. Ms Woods looked less tense and the hint of a smile appeared quickly on her face before she went back to a poker face. Nia was fuming. There was a short silence before Nia said :  
"I'd like to remind you Mr Wallace that i contribute greatly to the successful running of this school."

The school was financed by private investors and if you wanted your child to get into the school the tuition for a year was pretty high. Clarke was lucky her mother worked with the the wife of the principal's son who helped them to get in or Aden wouldn't have had a place at the school. Nia Frost was actually one of the investors of the school.

"And i thank you for it but we can not neglect discipline just because you are part of Mount Weather's board" replied the principal.

Clarke shifted awkwardly on her seat, the conversation these two were having would have been better to have in private. The blonde offered an embarrassed smile to the brunette who was looking at her too. Ms Woods smiled back and returned to her stoic pose.

"If this is all, we are going to go now" said Nia interrupting Clarke's staring at the brunette.

"Of course Mrs Frost." said Wallace standing up.

"Let's go Ontari." ordered the woman.

Ontari stood up and followed her mother without a word. Clarke turned to Wallace asking :

"Is there going to be a punishment for the children?"

"They are going to be in detention two times next week after class. Aden's is going to be Tuesday and Friday. Two hours each. We thought it would be better to separate them for their detention." responded the brunette.

Clarke shook her head in understanding then rose from her chair handing her hand to the director then to Ms Woods before taking Aden's hand and guiding them outside the office after saying goodbye to the two teachers. Clarke closed the door and sat Aden on the bench where she herself was seated a few minutes ago.

"Are you okay baby?" she asked removing the icepack from his face. He refused to look at her so she took his little chin in her hand and lifted it. She knew he felt ashamed, his parents didn't raise him to get into fights. Violence was not the way he reacted.

"It's okay Aden, i'm not angry. I know Ontari is giving you a hard time since last year."

He looked in her mother's eyes.

"She was saying mean things about me and then she began bothering my friend Charlotte too" Aden said a little angry.

Clarke was proud of him for standing up for him and his friend, he could have handled things differently but at least the Frost girl would leave them alone. She hugged him and kissed him on the forehead before handing him her hand. He took it with a little smile and they left the building in silence then got in the car. The ride home was pretty quiet, Aden was looking outside and didn't seem to want to talk to his mom. Clarke didn't try to ask him more questions, she let him calm down.

As soon as they were home, Aden opened his textbooks and started his homework without a word. Clarke gave him some Oreo's and a glass of milk, his favorite before telling him :  
"You know i'm gonna have to tell your dad about what happened."

The boy nodded, he knew the drill.

"Alright, you do your homework and i will call him."

Clarke went back to the kitchen and dialed her ex's number bracing herself for a heated conversation.

"Hey it's me."

"Hello, how are you? Is everything okay with Aden?"

"I'm fine and Aden is a bit bruised but he's okay."

"What?! Clarke what happened?!" he sounded angry. Clarke thought that she shouldn't have begun the conversation this way but it was too late for that now.

"He got into a fight at school."

"How could this have happened?" yelled her ex through the phone.

"Look, it was Ontari, the girl who has been bullying him since last year..." Clarke wasn't trying to justify Aden's actions but Ontari had really been a problem for her son since the two were in the same class.

"Doesn't matter who it was Clarke, violence is not a solution!" he replied. "I'm coming."

"No you're not." said Clarke, she was starting to get angry too. She hated when he did that kind of thing, always thinking that she needed his help to deal with problems concerning their son. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself.

"We need to talk to him Clarke. This is not the way i raised him!"

"The way YOU raised him?! Are you telling me this is my fault?!"

"That type of thing always happen when he's with you."

"Seriously Finn? You're going to blame me because our son broke his arm when he was 5 because i was chasing him in the garden and now he got into a fight and this is my fault too? You have to be kidding me!"

"You need to take care of him! He's your son!"

"I do take care of him Finn."

"Yeah..." he said sarcastically.

The blonde was so angry at the moment, Clarke knew he was referring to her not taking time to pick up their son since the beginning of the school year, she felt like she left Aden out. They had the same argument about this more times than she could count. Aden's parents let a few seconds pass to calm down before Finn said :

"Look i'm only looking out for our son, i'm sorry, i know you can take care of him. I just don't like that he got into a fight. I will have a chat with Aden when he's home with me."

"Okay..." Clarke said simply, wanting the conversation to end quickly.

"Okay. I'll see you on Sunday then."

"Have a nice evening."

"You too. Say hi to him for me."

"Yeah. Bye"

"Bye Clarke."

She hang up and stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes. She had to be more present for her son, she knew that, she needed to make time for him. Finn still had that way of making her doubt her abilities at being a mother. The blonde tried pull herself together before going back to Aden. She was aware that her break-up with Finn hurt him and she didn't want him to see them fight. They broke up two years ago both thinking that it would be best for their family.

They had been together since they were seventeen, at twenty two Clarke was pregnant. The young couple didn't plan on having a baby that early but they decided to keep him because they had a stable financial situation at the time. Clarke already had a successful first art exhibition and was planning her second one when Aden came into their lives. As for Finn he was working in his father's company.

When Aden was two, Clarke and Finn started to have problems, Finn was blaming Clarke, telling her that she was more invested in her work than her own son. Finn had lost his job and it was a hard time for him and Clarke as she had to ask for financial help from her parents. Clarke thought Finn was angry about his work and that he was projecting his anger on her so she let the criticism he had against her slide.

But when Finn got himself a new job it didn't resolve anything. They stayed together for two more years, not wanting to do anything to hurt their child but seeing that nothing changed, and that they were still fighting, they decided it was best if they ended things while they were still on good terms.  
They had shared custody of their son and they didn't have problems with it for now. Sure they fought from time to time but they tried not to do it in front of Aden for his sake.

Clarke took a last breath before going back to the living room where Aden was now watching tv on the couch.

"Already done with your homework?"

"Yes." he responded as Clarke sat next to him.

"So, i talked to your dad, he says hello and he's going to talk to you about what happened next week."

Aden nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm proud of you Aden."

He turned his head to his mom with eyes wide. "You are?"

"Yes. Look violence is not a way to resolve things but standing up for yourself and your friends is important so for that i am proud of you, i'm not going to punish you for it."

However she knew that Finn was pretty pissed about the fight and wouldn't let it go for a while.

"I love you mom." he whispered in her ear while he hugged her tightly.

"I love you too baby." she replied. "No more fights though okay?"

"Okay" he said, smiling.

"If this girl bothers you again talk to someone, don't act on it alright? Tell me or your dad. Or your teacher." she told her little boy, who once again nodded silently.

Maybe going to talk to Mrs Frost wasn’t the right move but she could ask Mr Wallace to put Aden in an other class if things kept being hard for him. She knew Aden really liked being in Ms Woods' class but being away from Ontari would be better for her son. Or maybe Ontari could be transferred to another class. She will have to think about what to do later.

"Is Auntie Raven coming to dinner tonight?" asked Aden with a hopeful voice.

"She is." answered his mother with a smile. Having dinner on Friday night with Raven was actually a habit when Aden was with Clarke.

"YES!" he exclaimed, jumping on the ground.

The two of them went to the kitchen and began to make dinner, of course Aden wanted to make chocolate cake because "Auntie Raven loves it!" so they made one, putting chocolate all over themselves while laughing. When they were clean they heard the doorbell ring. Aden ran to the door and waited for his mother to open it before jumping into Raven's arms.

"Sometimes i feel like he loves you more than me." joked Clarke, welcoming her friend into the apartment.

"Nah it's just my natural charm, don't feel bad about that, everybody loves me." winked Raven putting her red jacket on the couch. "So what happened to you, little lion?" she asked ruffling Aden's blond hair.

He told her what happened, leading her to the kitchen where his mom was serving wine for her and Raven.

"Well Finn's gonna be pissed." stated the Latina when Aden left to get the drawing he made for her.

"He was." sighed the blonde.

"Everything's okay between you two?"

"The usual, you know." answered Clarke, shrugging.

She didn't want to bother her friend once again with trouble between her and Finn. Clarke was glad to have Raven, the other girl had always been there for her but it was always the same problems between the ex couple. The blonde knew that she couldn't keep things hidden from her best friend though. Raven was looking at Clarke, with that look on her face - the one that screamed “Don't even try to lie to me Griffin.”

Clarke remembered the first time she saw that look, they were seventeen. Raven had just found out that Clarke and Finn were dating and she was pissed. The brunette had been dating the guy the year before, and Finn knew that Raven was still into him. He told Clarke that they should keep their relationship to themselves for now because of her. Clarke felt bad for Raven and thought that coming clean to her friend was better than hiding it from her, but the blonde didn't have time to do so because Raven had heard some gossip at school and decided to confront her, that look on her face. It took a while for Raven to forgive Clarke and Finn but eventually she did get over the boy and stayed friends with both of them.

Now there they were again in the same cycle beginning over and over. Everything would be fine between Finn and Clarke then something would happen that would bring back all the unresolved issues the two of them had. Clarke was tired of it but ranting on about it to Raven would not solve things and she didn't want to think about that right now.

"Look Auntie!" yelled Aden running back to the kitchen, his mother thankful for the interruption. He handed Raven a drawing of an astronaut in space, Raven had been working for the American space program for a year now. "I drew you!"

"You did buddy!" smiled Raven kissing him on the head. "This is beautiful. You're going to be able to teach some things to your mom in no time" she teased Clarke.

"Ha-ha." replied Clarke. "Okay, it's time for dinner."

The three of them dinned happily and, after watching tv for awhile Aden started to yawn so Raven took him to bed and couldn't leave before she read him a bedtime story. She rejoined Clarke who was taking care of the dishes and helped her.

"So how are you, Clarke?"

"I'm fine Raven. My new project is going well and it will be ready for the deadline." answered Clarke.

She was glad her friend didn't bring Finn up again but she also knew that it wasn't the answer Raven was looking for.

"I wasn't taking about work, girl. You gotta go out, meet someone."

"There it is" thought the blonde before replying :

"You know i can't. I have Aden, i have my art to think about."

"You got it covered Clarke. You need to take care of yourself too, you know that. I'm sure Aden wouldn't mind another mom or dad at home."

Clarke took a sip of her wine, her friend was right. Raven always encouraged her to find someone else. She didn't have feelings for her ex anymore but she had not been with anyone for such a long time. After Finn she focused solely on her son and her work, not letting anything get in the way. Sure she had some sexual encounters when the girls went out but she had not been in another relationship since Finn. Finding someone who would accept that she already had a child would be a challenge.

"I'll think about it." agreed Clarke.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Thank you Mr Wallace." said Lexa, turning to Dante Wallace after Ms Griffin left the office with her son Aden.

The brunette was glad that the principal backed her up against Ontari's mother, it meant a great deal to her that he supported her.

"Don't thank me Ms Woods, that attack against your competence as a teacher was unfounded. As i said i wouldn't have recruited you if i hadn't had total faith in your abilities. I know young teachers can easily be affected by angry parents but i can assure you you have my total support. Mrs Frost think that because she is on the school council we are going to let her children's bad behavior go unpunished but money does not rule this school, i do. We don't apply favoritism in this school, Ms Woods."

Lexa nodded and Dante took a paper on his desk and gave it to her.

"Could you please give this to Mr Blake?"

"Of course." said Lexa as she took it from his hand. "Goodbye Sir."

"Goodbye Miss Woods."

Lexa got outside the office and heard voices. She turned her head to the left and saw Aden with his mother leaving the school. Today was the first time she met Ms Griffin, she never saw her picking up Aden before. The woman was beautiful. The brunette had seen her staring at her in the office but it must have been because of the awkward conversation Mrs Frost and Mr Wallace were having in front of them, and not certainly not because the blonde found her pretty or anything, that would have been wishful thinking. Not that Lexa would have minded. Lexa continued to head toward the teacher's room where she found Lincoln and Bellamy talking.

"Hey Woods I heard that two of your kid fought during sport practice." inquired Bellamy when she saw her enter the room.

"Yeah, Aden Griffin and Ontari Frost." she held the paper out to Bellamy. "Wallace told me to give you this."

"Thanks. So Aden and Ontari... I had them in my class last year, they were already having a little feud."

"Do you know what it is about?"

"No. You know, with children it's hard to tell, they could be fighting about everything or nothing." said Bellamy shrugging.

"Yeah..." said Lexa, doubting these two were fighting about nothing.

"Bell and I were about to go have a drink, do you want to come?" proposed Lincoln.

"Sure." accepted Lexa.

After the day she had, a drink was more than welcome. She usually hang out with Bellamy and Lincoln on Friday nights anyway. Lexa had arrived in the city the week before the beginning of the school year, she didn't really have time to go out and make friends in two months. Her two colleagues were the only ones who were about her age and who she was close to. Bellamy had been teaching in Mount Weather for five years now and Lincoln came here three years ago and met his wife Octavia through Bellamy. Lexa liked the two men, Lincoln had immediately been very welcoming and she often went running with him. Bellamy and her actually had quite a bit in common too, they both were books and history nerds and were both pretty competitive when they had game nights with Lincoln and Octavia.

The three teachers went to the bar a few blocks away from school, Jasper the bartender and owner of the bar was a childhood friend of Bellamy.

"Hey guys!" he cheered as they entered the bar. "The usual?"

They said hello and nodded in response, then went to sit in a booth at the back of the bar. Jasper came with their drinks a few minutes later and they had a little chat before he went back behind the bar to serve his other customers.

"So you met the Ice Queen today." said Bellamy.

"The Ice Queen?" asked Lexa confused about the nickname.

"Frost, Ontari's mother." he explained.

"Oh yeah, she's kind of a bitch. She told me it was my fault the kids fought."

"Yeah she's a pain the ass. I'm glad i don't have one of her children in my class this year." Bellamy admitted, taking a sip of his beer.

"I haven't had any trouble with Roan for now." said Lincoln simply. Ontari's older brother, Roan, was in Lincoln class.

"Let's hope it stays that way Linc." Bellamy said, knocking on the table with a shit eating grin.

"You know i'm peaceful, i wouldn't do anything to annoy a board member." he joked.

"Yeah what's up with that?" asked Lexa. "She was threatening Wallace when we were in the office."

"I think the Ice Queen is trying to get Dante replaced." explained Bellamy "I'm surprised she said that in front of you."

"Yeah well Aden's mother and I were a bit embarrassed." Lexa admitted.

"Oh you met her? She's a sweetheart!" said Lincoln. Bellamy turned red at the mention of Ms Griffin so Lexa decided to ask, her eyebrows raised :

"Is there something going on with you and Ms Griffin, Blake?"

After Lexa asked that, Lincoln started laughing loudly and Bellamy elbowed him in the side.

"I may have asked her out." he said.

"Oh no Bell you forgot the best part!" said Lincoln. "Our Don Juan here wanted to ask her out so he ran outside the school after she left Aden for the day. He fell in the stairs and while he was still on the ground he said "Would you accept to go on a date with me? I'm already falling for you"

Bellamy groaned in embarrassment and hid his face in his hands while the two other were laughing.

"Oh my God Blake! What did she say?"

"She asked if he hurt his head when he fell."

"Ouch."

"Yeah..." sighed Bellamy. "I had to try, i mean have you seen her?"

"She's beautiful." admitted Lexa blushing slightly.

"Don't go falling for her too, Lexa." joked Lincoln.

"Come on i'm sure i have more game than Blake, Lincoln!" laughed Lexa.

"Thanks Lincoln. Now she won't stop teasing me about that."

"Man, if you didn't want anyone to tease you, you should have thought about asking her at another moment instead of doing it in front of all the teachers and lots of parents and kids." Lincoln shot back.

The three of them spent the evening at the bar, Octavia joined them around dinner time and they ordered burgers and more drinks, they were all glad it was a Friday night when they woke up the next morning.

*

The next Friday Lexa was accompanied by Aden for his last detention hour. After their fight the week before Aden and Ontari avoided each other like the plague. At least there was no other incident between the two of them. Lexa had tried to talk to them during detention but neither of them wanted to talk about it so she dropped it, "no need to insist if the children don't want to talk to you." she said to herself.

Lexa was correcting copies at her desk while Aden was supposed to be copying lines. When Lexa rose to check on the progress of his work she saw that he was drawing.

"Aden." she called.

"I..." he stuttered. "I finished copying my lines ten minutes ago, Ms Woods." he continued showing her his copybook.

"Good." she replied before taking a look at his drawing. "This is really good Aden, you're very talented." he had drawn Lexa sitting at her desk. The drawing wasn't perfect but it made her very happy.

"My aunt tells me i could be more talented than my mom someday!" he said excited.

"Your mother draws?"

"Yes. She's an artist, she also paints!" She painted, yes, Lexa remembered her clothes tainted with paint when she first saw her, she smiled at the thought of it.

"That's very interesting. Is she going to accompany us at the museum next week?" asked the teacher.

The class was supposed to go visit the art museum of Arkadia where some show had been prepared to introduce children to art and make it interesting to them. Two parents were supposed to go with them so Lexa thought it could be beneficial for the kids to have actual artist present with them.

"I don't know." replied the boy shrugging.

"It's okay." said Lexa while turning to check the time. "It's nearly time, let's pack our bags."

Aden nodded and started to put his things in his schoolbag, then moved to Lexa's desk and handed her the drawing.

"It's for you Ms Woods."

"Thank you Aden." she said as she accepted the drawing and put it in her bag. "Let's go!"

They left the classroom and Lexa closed it with her keys before they went to wait in the hall. The November weather was far too cold for them to be waiting outside. They sat on a bench in the school hall.

"So you like soccer Aden?" asked Lexa to her pupil. She noticed his blue Arkadia jersey this morning when he came to school.

"Yes! I watch it with my mom!" he said excited. "Do you watch it too?"

"I do. I support Polis though." she answered.

Lexa smiled at the memory of her young self being so excited about upcoming games of Polis team. She used to often go to the stadium with her parents to catch a game. Lexa herself played soccer when she was younger in one of Polis' district called TonDC.

"Oh no! Arkadia is so much better than Polis!" stated Aden standing up with his hands on his head with a clear expression of outrage on his face.

"Is it?" Lexa raised an eyebrow at the boy's comment with a smile.

It was a kid so she was not going to argue much with him about it anyway. Kids could be so passionate about the things they liked.

"Yeah! We are first in the rankings for now!"

"True." nodded the teacher. "Maybe we could play some soccer in sports, would you like that?"

"Yes!" yelled Aden jumping up and down as Lexa smiled at the child's enthusiasm.

She saw a bit of herself when she was younger in Aden. It was in these kind of moments that Lexa was glad to be a teacher, children were so genuine and brightened everything up. The brunette had a little heartache suddenly thinking about how she wanted to have kids but she had not find the right person for that yet.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ms Griffin, who barged into the hall, out of breath. Aden ran in her arms.

"Mom!" he hugged her with a big smile on his face.

"Hey Aden. I'm sorry! I'm a bit late, his dad was supposed to pick Aden up but he had a thing at work." she explained to Lexa, trying to catch her breath.

"No worries Ms Griffin." she took a breath before continuing timidly "I actually wanted to ask you something. Aden and I were having a little chat about drawing while we were in detention and he told me you are an artist."

"I am." the blonde smiled .

" _God she's very pretty._ " Lexa thought, even with her rosy cheeks and and her hair disheveled by her run she looked so cute.

"Yeah." replied Lexa nervously. "So i was actually wondering if you knew about the field trip we are having next week at Jaha's museum. I thought it would be great if you could come with us seeing that art is your job and we're missing an chaperon!".

"Oh yes Aden told me about it a few weeks ago. I must've forgotten to gave my reply. Or maybe his dad did, you know how it is with separated parents..."

Lexa nodded, so Ms Griffin was definitely not dating Aden's father but asking a parent on a date was out of the question for Lexa even if the parent was as pretty as the blonde.

"I understand Ms Griffin, don't worry."

"So yeah i will be there."

"Great." said Lexa with a big smile. "I will leave you to it now, have a nice weekend."

"You too Ms Woods!" replied Ms Griffin smiling back and holding Aden's hand to the door.

"See you on Monday Ms Woods!" yelled Aden before disappearing with his mother through the door.

Lexa smiled before following them and closing the door of the hall her keys. She saw them get in their car and watched as they drove away. She was looking forward to next week and to see Aden's mother again.

*

Lexa went back to her apartment after making a short detour to the grocery store. She opened the door and a chocolate colored labrador ran to her, jumping up and down happy to see his master.

"Hold on buddy, let me put these down before i drop them." she told the excited dog while she tried to reach the counter. Lexa put the groceries away then lowered herself to pet her dog.

"Yeah i missed you too Clark!" she exclaimed.

Lexa named him after her favorite male superhero, Superman. Her best friend Anya had bought her the puppy after Lexa's break up with her ex, thinking it would be good for her to have a little company at home. It had been a good idea, at first Lexa wasn't thrilled about the idea but seeing the little dog in Anya's hands she couldn't refuse. The dog licked her face for a while before he stopped and went to the door. Lexa understood the message loud and clear and reached for the dog collar and his leash before putting them on the dog and going out to the park. During their walk Lexa received a call.

"Hey, missed me?" asked Lexa as she answered the phone.

"You wish."

"Well i do miss you Anya."

"Awe look at you, it's been a little over two months that you left and already being sentimental."

"Shut up."

"I'm just teasing you, you know i miss you too. Actually i was calling about tomorrow, i know i said i might be able to come but something came up and i really can't this weekend. You're still coming back for Christmas aren’t you? Your parents would be pretty sad if you didn't."

"It's okay don't worry, you're welcome any other time. And yeah i will be there for Christmas."

Lexa was a little sad that her friend couldn't come see her this weekend. She was missing her best friend, they had always being close and when Lexa decided to come work to Arkadia it was because she needed to get away from Polis and the memory of her ex girlfriend. Anya understood that of course. Leaving her home had been hard and she dearly missed Anya, even if Lincoln and Bellamy were there it wasn't the same as spending time with her.

"Alright, great."

"How is she?" asked Lexa after a small silence.

"You know her, always traveling around the world. She's in Europe for an article. She's okay Lexa."

"I'm glad." trying to sound convincing.

"Look, i have to go, i'll call you next week okay?" sighed Anya.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Lex, take care."

The call ended and Lexa put her phone back in her pocket. Costia was fine. They broke up nearly a year ago, and they had not talked since. Lexa asked Anya from time to time about how her sister was doing but she never tried to reach out to her directly. She knew it was awkward for Anya being in the middle of it, Lexa was her best friend and Costia was her sister, she didn't want to pick a side.

Lexa had told her parents she would be back for Christmas, and upon hearing from Anya that Costia was in Europe she hoped that her ex girlfriend would not be present for Christmas too. Lexa's family always had dinner with Costia's as the two families were very close. The three girls grew up together and when Lexa and Costia started dating both of their families were thrilled. Things were a bit more complicated now with the two of them not talking. Lexa's parents never forgot to mention Costia every time they called their daughter but Lexa didn't want to talk about her anymore.

The first few months after their break up were the worst and she had a hard time getting over her. She couldn't talk to Costia because she left as soon as they broke up so sometimes Lexa felt like she didn't had her closure but maybe there wasn't anything more to be said.

Lexa was pulled out of her thoughts by her dog, who was whining at her feet. Rain had started to fall and they were the only one left in the park.

"Okay, okay we're going." she said as she put her hood on and turned back jogging to her apartment.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah Lexa's dog is named Clark, things may get awkward haha!
> 
> Thanks for reading ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay Aden where is your lunch?" asked Clarke, freaking out a bit.

"It's in my bag mom. Where is yours?"

"Mine?" she asked confused. "Sh---shoot! I forgot to prepare one for me!" cried Clarke as she headed back to the kitchen to make something for herself.

Today she had to accompany Aden's class to the museum with Ms Woods and another parent who Clarke hoped would not be Nia Frost. Clarke quickly fixed herself some food and took a bottle of water that she threw in her backpack.

"Aden let's go! We're gonna be late!" called Clarke.

Aden turned off the tv and said as he walked in front of her with a smirk :

"It wouldn't be my fault if we were mom."

"Okay smart boy, you spend too much time with Raven." responded his mother rolling her eyes at him as she closed the door.

They rapidly got into the car and arrived at school ten minutes later on time.

"See? We're not late!"

Aden nodded with a smile as they jumped out. As they crossed the road Clarke immediately saw Aden's teacher with some of the kids around her. She was wearing a long black coat with a green scarf around her neck, that color looked really good on her. Clarke had opted for casual clothing today. There were supposed to be workshops at the museum for the kids, and when there's “art animation” , there's usually says paint involved, so she took some of the clothes she wore to paint at the studio. Luckily none of the clothes she was wearing bore any trace of paint. Clarke readjusted the beanie on her head before she walked over to Ms Woods as Aden joined his friends.

"Good morning Ms Woods!" greeted Clarke.

Ms Woods turned to her and extended her hand to her "Oh Ms Griffin, good morning! I'm glad you could come with us today."

"Me too. I really hope the children are going to enjoy themselves." she said as she shook the teacher's hand, which was covered by soft gloves.

"I hope so too."

"So who is the other parent that's supposed to come with us?" asked Clarke.

"Mr Sinclair. Leo's father."

Clarke let out the breath she was holding in, relieved. The brunette must have seen her do that because she asked with a smile.

"Are you relieved it's not Mrs Frost ?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry." she answered, a bit embarrassed.

"Between you and me" said Ms Woods coming a little closer to Clarke practically whispering into her hear "I'm glad she's not here today too."

She turned as a man called her name, letting Clarke get a grip on herself. Was the teacher flirting with her? " _No_ " thought Clarke " _she's a teacher, i'm a parent, she's not flirting, she's just being nice, calm down Clarke. God Raven is right i need to get laid. This is going to be a long day._ "

"Mr Sinclair this is Ms Griffin, she's going to be with us today." said Ms Woods, coming back next to Clarke.

"Nice to meet you Ms Griffin."

"Likewise." answered Clarke politely as she shook the hand of the man. He had dark curly hair and looked genuinely nice.

"Great, the bus is already here." said Ms Woods. "Okay kids, everybody single file, let's get on the bus."

The children obeyed the teacher's instructions immediately, and clambered one by one onto the bus while Lexa counted them.

"Everybody's here." mumbled the brunette before gesturing for the two parents to hop on the bus.

The bus was packed. Mr Sinclair sat with his son at the front of the bus as the child was carsick. Clarke looked in the bus and sat in the only available seat; at the right front of the bus. Mrs Woods came in last and the bus driver closed the door as he and the teacher exchanged a few words. The brunette looked at Clarke and, seeing that it was the only spot available, sat next to the blonde.

"All set." she said to the bus driver who nodded and started driving.

"I've never sat at the front of the bus before" confessed Clarke.

The teacher made her a bit nervous and when she was nervous Clarke had the tendency to speak what was on her mind.

She mentally slapped herself and was actually surprised when the brunette next to her turned to look at her and asked :

"Were you a troublemaker Ms Griffin?"

"Let's just say my best friend and I weren't big on rules."

"I see. So the other week was not your first time in the director's office i suppose?" the brunette smirked.

"Definitely not." she answered, shaking her head. "What about you? Were you the teacher's pet? I mean you became a teacher, after all."

"Haha, well I never got into trouble at school, if that's what you mean."

"Yeah." said Clarke, amused.

"Are you judging me for following the rules?"

"No i'm just saying breaking the rules can be fun sometimes. A little adventure never killed anyone."

"Who says i'm not adventurous?" said the teacher, raising one of her eyebrows.

" _Okay that was definitely flirting this time_ " thought Clarke.

She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out of it. The teacher must have realized what was happening too because she cleared her throat and turned her head to the road in front of her. They spent the rest of the ride not talking and exchanging polite smiles when their eyes met. Clarke couldn't focus on anything but the woman next to her, her perfume filling her nostrils.

They reached the museum around 9p.m, they had been held up by the traffic jam a bit at this hour of the day. As they parked the children began to get a bit excited and the teacher rose from her seat.

"Okay kids we have arrived. We are going to get out of the bus calmly and the same goes for when we are going to be in the museum. There are other people visiting the place so please no yelling and no running. Understood?"

The children nodded and followed as their teacher gestured to get out. Clarke followed Ms Woods and stood by her as everybody got out.

"We are going to separate them in three groups, it will be easier this way. Six kids each." instructed Ms Woods to Clarke and Mr Sinclair.

Ontari found herself with Ms Woods as Aden was put in Sinclair's group with some of his friends. When every group was formed, the brunette took a step forward the entrance and the others followed her.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, my name is Lexa Woods i am here with my class, we are from Mount Weather School." said Lexa to the person at the ticket desk.

 " _Lexa! That's her first name. Is that short for another name like Alexandra or something?_ " wondered Clarke who had never known someone named Lexa. But again, Clarke wasn’t the most common name for a girl either.

"Oh yes, a group of 18 children and 3 adults, is that it?"

"It is." confirmed the brunette.

"Alright, the guides must be waiting for your arrival in the great hall."

"Thank you." said Lexa before turning back to her class. "This way guys, let's go."

They progressed into the building and found the three guides where the lady at the entrance said hey would be. Lexa chatted a bit with them before returning to her group.

"The guides are going to take us on a tour around the museum. We should be done around 11:30p.m. We'll meet each other here okay? Any questions?" she asked and when no one said anything she finished up by wishing them a great visit, and asking them to be on their best behavior.

Clarke greeted her guide and they began the tour. The kids in her groups were all very quiet and listened to what the guide was saying. Clarke thought the visit might be a little boring for the kids but they actually seemed to enjoy it and the guide was trying to explain everything to them in the easiest way.

On her side, Clarke didn't really pay attention to the guide's explanations. She had been here a few times when she was still an art student. She loved the place, the museum was not only a wonderful marble building but it was full of incredible art pieces that Clarke came to admire. As an artist herself being here was stimulating. The museum housed her all time favorite painting, The Starry Night by Van Gogh.

When she was a little girl, Clarke's parents took her with them to the museum for the first time when it opened. During their visit a painting stood out from the rest for Clarke, it was this one. She had been mesmerized by the painting, the movement, the colors, everything...and it still had the same effect on her that it had had that day. Of course Clarke liked other artists and arts but this one was forever her favorite. It was the one piece that gave her the desire to be an artist.

The visit continued for ten minutes after they saw the infamous Starry Night then Clarke and her group were the first to get back to the great hall.

"So guys did you like the visit?" she asked to the kids.

"Yes!" They said trying to give her their opinion all at once.

"I liked the sculptures!"

"The colors were very pretty!"

"Great, that's awesome." said Clarke.

"Aden says you're an artist too!" said Alex, a little girl.

"I am." nodded Clarke.

"So your art is in this museum too?" inquired Ryder with wide eyes.

"Oh no, one day maybe. I hope." answered the blonde.

Of course it was a dream of her to have one of her paintings or drawings in a museum but she wasn't there yet. She was glad though that she could actually live off of her art. Her first few years after art school had been a little rough but she felt like she was on a good path professionally speaking.

Sinclair and Lexa's groups arrived around the same time five minutes later. Clarke glanced at Aden who had a big smile on his face. Everybody got back to the bus to retrieve their bags and Lexa lead them to a room who had been prepared specially for them to eat lunch. It was way too cold for them to just have a picnic outside late November in Arkadia.

The kids sat at the tables and some of them came to Lexa asking to go to the toilets. She took the little group with her as Clarke and Sinclair helped the kids settle to eat. The teacher came back a few minutes later and sat with the parents.

"How did the tour go for you?" asked Sinclair.

"Great, the kids were very interested." answered Clarke.

"I had a little trouble with one of mine who thought it was funny to hide behind the statues but other than that it went well. What about you Mr Sinclair?"

"It went very well. I actually was surprised by the guide. I thought they would be delivering a speech like they were robots to the kids but it was actually very fun. I liked it."

The three of them continued to talk while they ate, always keeping an eye on the children. Clarke learned that Sinclair was an engineer and that Lexa knew next to nothing about art.

"Yeah well we're on the same boat Miss Woods!" laughed Sinclair and the two women laughed with him. "I spotted a coffee shop near the great hall, would you like something ladies? I'm buying."

"Oh Mr Sinclair no..." began Clarke.

"Please ladies, i'm actually glad to be here today, i thought i would be dying of boredom when my wife told me she couldn’t make it and i had to go in her place so please let me buy you coffee." he insisted raising his hands to stop the protests.

"Okay then, i'll take a latte."

"Alright. Ms Woods?"

"Black, no sugar. Thank you Mr Sinclair."

"My pleasure." he said as he got up and left the room, leaving the two women alone at the table.

"So you're not an art connoisseur ?" asked Clarke.

"Well i find some of the things we saw today very pretty but i've never tried to learn more about it." admitted the brunette.

"There's more to art than just aesthetic." stated Clarke with a sigh.

"Oh no that's not what i meant sorry." Lexa apologized. "I did not want to say that art was just pretty or ugly. I just don't know anything about it. It's not a subject i'm familiar with."

"Maybe you should try to learn more about it. There is so much to see."

"Maybe i should."

Sinclair came back with the drinks and as the three adults drank their coffee they watched the children play on the other side of the room.

Lexa stood up suddenly in the middle of a conversation about the visit, Clarke turned her head quickly to follow the teacher. She saw her go to one of the kids, he was on the ground and must have fell while he was running around with his mates. Clarke rose up from her seat and went to them with her bag, she always carried a first aid kit with her in case of emergency. The blonde lowered herself next to Lexa and the boy.

"May i take a look?" she asked the boy who nodded with teary eyes.

She took his arm in her hands and Lexa looked at her curiously before the blonde continued checking him for broken bones.

"Nothing is broken, i'll just have to clean these nasty grazes okay?" Clarke said softly.

Once again he nodded and Lexa smiled at him, patting him on the back.

"See, you're going to be fine, Max. Ms Griffin is going to take care of you." reassured the teacher.

Clarke felt her heart melt seeing the teacher be so gentle and nice with her pupils. Obviously as a teacher, Lexa would like kids but Clarke really felt like she cared for them.

"Are you a doctor?" asked Max.

"I'm not but i could have been. Don't worry it won't hurt you." assured the blonde cleaning the scrapes the little boy had on his hands.

"All good!" cheered Clarke as soon as she was done.

"Thank you." said Max as he returned to play with his friends.

"Thank you Ms Griffin." she heard the teacher say and her hand was on her forearm for a second.

The contact was so short, and Clarke felt her skin burning when the other woman touched her. Their eyes met, those beautiful green eyes, she wanted to paint that shade everywhere. Lexa held out her hand to her to help her get back up. Clarke took it and kept it in hers as she smiled at the brunette in front of her, forgetting where they were and that they were surrounded by a lot of people.

A woman suddenly entered the room and Clarke and Lexa quickly let go of each others hands and the brunette joined her and Sinclair. The blonde felt her cheeks burn and pretended to search for something in her bag to put some space between her and the teacher.

Clarke walked to the adults. The woman named Marcie told them the activities for the afternoon were ready if they were. They all got their bags back to the bus and were lead to a different area of the museum.

"Do you remember what you saw in the museum this morning?" asked Marcie as the kids all listened to her. "Well this afternoon you are going to try to make your own art. You can sculpt, paint, draw, do whatever you want to do. Create something! What you will make this afternoon will be exposed in this area of the museum reserved for children's work or you can take it back home with you."

The kids all looked at each other with excitement in their eyes. Marcie and her team distributed to each kid an apron to prevent their clothes getting too dirty at the end of the day and the children went to the different parts of the room that were filled with different art supplies. When everyone was set up, Marcie then came to the adults.

"You can join the children if you want, we have more aprons. I'm here if you have any questions." Marcie said and went walking around the room.

"I'm just gonna go to the drawing section and see what the kids are up to." said Sinclair before leaving Clarke and Lexa alone again.

"So... Would you like to try something?" asked Clarke to Lexa who scratched her head uncomfortably.

"I don't know, I'm not very good at drawing or painting. I think i'm just gonna go around the room. I will see you later Ms Griffin."

Clarke watched the brunette move away while she put on an overall then walked to the sculpting area where her son Aden was.

"Hey!"

"Mom!" smiled her son. "I wanted to try something new, i've already tried painting and drawing with you at the studio so..."

"Yeah i don't have clay at the studio. Maybe I should buy some. So what are you thinking about?"

The boy was struggling with a small pile of clay in front of him.

"I wanted to make a man standing up like that statue in the art book i read with you the other week."

"L'Homme qui marche. Okay i see."

Clarke was proud of Aden for remembering this piece, she had never forced him to have any interest in art but the little boy liked what his mother was doing so he often asked her questions about it. Clarke was happy that it was something that they shared.

"Are you going to create something?" Aden asked his mother.

"Maybe."

"Okay." he said.

He then turned his attention to his sculpture as Clarke left to take some paper and charcoal in the drawing section. She approached Sinclair who was drawing too.

"Oh i see the engineer now!" she said seeing his drawing.

He had started drawing a was detailed schematic of what looked like a turbine.

"That's what i love" smiled Sinclair.

Clarke smiled back and joined her son. She sat next to him and started drawing, not paying attention to her surroundings. When she was drawing or painting it was like she was in another world. She didn't hear Lexa's footsteps behind her.

"It's beautiful." whispered the brunette behind her. Clarke turned on her chair suddenly and the teacher took a step back. "I didn't mean to startle you, i'm sorry." apologized Lexa with a little smile.

"No worries." assured Clarke, her heartbeat getting back to normal.

No her heartbeat didn't just rise up because Lexa scared her but she had been leaning over her shoulder, so close to her that the scent of her perfume had hit her again. That woman had such an effect on her. Lexa left again and went to Aden to check on his work and Clarke had a clear view of her back from here. " _Come on Clarke, stop starring at her ass!_ " she thought before shaking her head and going back to her drawing.

A supervisor came to help Aden with the clay, showing him some easier ways to sculpt and help with the dimensions. He listened carefully and the supervisor gave him an encouraging pat before leaving. After that, Clarke didn't lift her head for a long time then she heard Aden call her.

"Mom look!" he said proudly, showing her his little statue which was about twenty centimeters high.

"It's so good Aden!".

She had gotten up and was looking at his statue with her hands on his shoulders. She kissed his hair and looked around the room. Everybody was cleaning up their art supplies.

"Is it time already?" she asked her son.

"Yes. Ms Woods said we were going to leave in about twenty minutes."

"Okay." she nodded as she began returning the material she used to the other side of the room.

"I'm going to take a picture for your dad." she told Aden before getting her phone out of her pocket and took a few shots.

After all the children cleaned the room they all gave their blouses back to Marcie and her team while thanking them for their help. Marcie smiled at them saying to the kids that the museum would be very proud to expose their work and that they were all artists in the making and gave them each a free ticket to the museum. They all left after that, Lexa, Sinclair and Clarke all checking that the kids in each group were there and getting them back to the bus.

"Did you have a good day Ms Griffin?" inquired Lexa as she sat next to her like she did on their way to the museum.

"I did and i think the children did too." assured the mother.

"I would be glad if they did." admitted the brunette looking at Clarke thanking her with her eyes.

"You're very talented. Aden told me you paint too." complimented Lexa.

"Thank you. And yes i paint too but charcoal was what i started art with."

The teacher nodded and asked.

"Do you expose your work somewhere?"

"I actually have a gallery in the middle of the city. Interested in seeing my art Ms Woods?" asked Clarke with a little smirk.

"Well someone told me i should try to know more about art so i'm trying to follow her advice."

"I see. I suppose i could give you the address of my gallery then." flirted back.

"That would be great." answered Lexa with a bright smile, her eyes not leaving the blonde's.

Clarke took a card out of her bag and handed it to the teacher, their fingers brushing.

"Thank you." said the brunette still looking at Clarke.

This staring contest was interrupted by the kids sitting behind them who started bickering. Lexa turned to them and calmed them down. They stayed quiet for the rest of the trip back to the school and arrived about twenty minutes later. Right on time for their parents to pick them up. Sinclair said goodbye to Lexa then Clarke before he left with his son. Both had a big smile on their faces, as did lots of the other kids.

"Thank you for coming today Ms Griffin. I hope to see you again soon."

"I hope so too." said Clarke as Aden tugged on her hand to leave.

Clarke glanced one last time at the teacher before entering the car with Aden.

" _What am i doing?_ " she asked herself as she drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter.  
> Don't hesitate to comment, feedback is always welcome ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this chapter so i hope you'll like it too!  
> There's no Lexa/Clarke interaction in this one though so i'm sorry but don't worry we'll get there!

 

It was Friday evening, Lexa had just came back from dinner with Bellamy at Jasper's bar, it had become some kind of habit between the four of them, Lincoln and Octavia had not been there tonight though because they were celebrating their two year anniversary. During dinner Bellamy had noticed that something was on Lexa's mind and he asked if everything was okay. She told him that everything was fine. How awkward it would've been to talk about what was happening with Aden's mother, a woman he had asked on a date and who had said no.

Lexa herself wasn't sure about what was happening between her and the blonde. The effect that Ms Griffin had on her, she didn't know what to do. Of course if things were different she would have asked the woman on a date right away but things were not that easy. Lexa was her son's teacher. After a quick walk outside with her dog, the brunette decided to call her best friend for advice.

"Hey Lexa! What's up?"

"Hi Anya, i wanted to talk about something actually but i don't know if..."

"That's about a girl?" cut Anya.

"Yes..." answered Lexa hesitantly.

"Look i told you you still can talk to me about these things. Remember what i told you when you and my sister broke up? I'm not taking a side, i love you both and you'll always be my best friend."

"I know."

"Good. So?"

"Well i have a problem i think."

"Okay?"

"There's this woman, she's beautiful and i like her, i may have flirted with her a bit. She gave me her card to come see her art gallery."

"I don't see the problem Lexa. Is she married? God don't go for a married woman Lexa, please!"

"No it's not that Anya!"

"Is she straight?"

"No, well i don't think so, she kinda flirted back so..."

"Okay so what's the problem?!"

"Her son is in my class."

"Oh, it's a parent! I see. And now you're telling yourself that it would be unprofessional to ask her out."

"Because it is!" protested Lexa. She didn't want to be rejected by the blonde like Bellamy had been. She would be forced to see her for the rest of the school year every time she would come to the school to pick up Aden, things would be so awkward and Lexa didn't want that.

"Look Lexa she gave you her card, go see her gallery, there's no pressure. You can figure out what you want later."

"Maybe you're right."

"I am. Stop torturing yourself with these questions, nothing has happened yet."

"Yeah."

"Who knows, maybe something would come out of it...Well i sure do hope you will." joked Anya.

"God Anya! Stop it!"

Lexa tried to shush her friend but she found herself laughing at it too. The brunette was suddenly silent, looking at Ms Griffin's card and Anya called out her name a few times before she finally answered.

"Oh my God!" said the teacher, taken aback.

"What is going on Lexa?" asked Anya with a worried voice.

"Her name."

"The girl you have a crush on? What? Is she a celebrity or something?" yelled a confused Anya on the other side of the phone.

"No. Her name is Clarke." explained Lexa.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! You have to be kidding me!" laughed Anya.

"I'm not, I swear." giggled Lexa. "God i'm embarrassed."

"Oh my God, please date her. I need to know what happens when she finds out she has the same name as your dog!"

Lexa and Anya chatted a bit more before they decided to hang up the phone. Lexa then sat on the couch and decided that the next day she would go check out Clarke's gallery.

*

"Clarke i have a surprise for you!" said a joyful Raven.

She was all dressed up to party and Clarke began to get a bit suspicious.

"Oh no Raven! No surprise! Do you remember the last time you had a surprise for me? Because i sure do!" protested Clarke remembering the unfortunate event that occurred that day.

Clarke had gone to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Raven. She arrived earlier than her friend which was nothing unusual. The blonde had then received a text message from Raven saying that she had a surprise for her and that it was going to be there really soon. A few minutes later an handsome guy had sat at her table and told her he was her date. They had dinner and the date went very well then after dessert the guy excused himself. After ten minutes he wasn't back at the table and Clarke started to wonder what happened to him, the waiter came back with the bill so she asked him if he had seen her date. The waiter told her that the guy had left saying that you would pay the bill. The 150$ bill! So Clarke did because she had no other choice and left a heated voice mail to Raven to thank her for the night.

"No i promise you i did not set you up on a date with a douche who just wanted a free meal! Trust me on this one!"

"Tell me."

"Okay so you know i told you you should start dating again. Well one of my friend talked to me about that bisexual speed dating night that's happening tonight and i signed you up"

"WHAT?!" yelled Clarke slapping her friend on the arm. "You could've at least asked me!"

"You would have said no" shrugged Raven.

"Doesn't matter, i'm not going to that speed dating night."

"What are you gonna do then? It's Friday night! You can't spend all your Friday nights alone with Ben and Jerry's. Go get some real Ben or Jerry, whoever!" Raven said, doing wide hand gestures as she always did. Clarke sighed before answering in defeat.

"I hate you!" But Clarke knew her friend was right, she had to get out of here.

"I love you too!" she winked and took Clarke by the arm leading her to her bedroom. "So now let's get you dressed babe!"

They got into Clarke's bedroom and the blonde opened her closet, she took out a blue top and a black skirt and showed them to her friend who nodded in approval before leaving the room to let her get dressed.

"Hurry up Griffin, we're gonna be late!" called Raven through the door.

"Well if you had told me before that we were going out i would have been ready when you arrived."

"Point taken." admitted the black haired girl.

"Okay i'm good to go.".

She opened the door and joined Raven in the living room. They left the apartment and Raven drove them to the bar where the speed dating was supposed to take place.

"I've never done this before" hissed Clarke as she reluctantly walked through the entrance door with her best friend.

The night didn't seem that bad of an idea when they were on their way but now that they were here Clarke wasn't so sure about it anymore.

"Don't worry i signed myself up too." answered Raven as she lead them into the bar and to a girl at a table.

"Good evening ladies, are you on the list?" she asked the two friends.

"We are! Raven Reyes and Clarke Griffin." Raven told the woman who checked their name on her paper.

"Alright! Here are your name tags. You will speak with everyone 2 minutes then we will give you a small questionnaire, which will tell us who you want to know more and we'll get back to you with the results."

"Feels like we're taking an exam or something." grumbled Clarke getting away table as she put her name tag on her blouse.

"Come on Clarke, can you at least pretend to enjoy being here. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone tonight!" cheered her friend.

"Let's have a drink."

Raven rolled her eyes as Clarke walked in front of her in the direction of the bar. After they took their drinks they heard the lady who gave them the name tags call everyone and lead them to another room. Small tables were disposed in the room with two chairs per tables. As the lady was explaining to them how they were going to proceed for the night Clarke took the time to look around her.

"Any more questions?" asked the lady who organized the evening. "Alright let's begin then!"

Clarke sat up in front of a white guy with a blonde beard, he had tattoos on both his arms and Clarke could make out a part of one other beginning on his throat, he seemed younger than her. She gave him a small smile before he began talking.

"Good evening. I'm Greg." showing her his name tag with his right thumb.

"Nice to meet you, i'm Clarke."

"I've never met a girl named Clarke before." he said raising with eyebrows.

"Yeah i get that a lot."

"So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an artist. I mainly paint and draw."

"Oh that's cool, i'm a tattoo artist."

"Did you do them yourself? The one you got i mean."

"I did my arms and my associate did the one on my throat, it's not an easy place to do yourself."

"Yeah i can imagine."

"Do you have any?"

"I don't actually. I have thought about it but never took the plunge."

"Well if you ever want to do one or need more information about it you could come by my salon."

"Using a speed dating night to get clients Greg?" Clarke asked with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, i just love my job."

"Yeah i know what you mean."

They talked a little more about tattoos and art before the bell rang. Clarke shook Greg's hand and realized as he stood up that she knew nothing about him other than his job. "He was nice though" she thought, maybe he could be a friend.

Someone else came to sit in front of her, it was a blonde in a tight red dress who seemed like she really liked jewelery as her arms were covered in bracelets, big diamonds hanging on her ears and very heavy necklace around her neck.

"Hi i'm Clarke" she greeted.

"Alison." answered the blonde without a smile.

"This is my first time at speed dating, are you familiar with it?"

"I'm not desperate if that's what you're asking."

"Hum that wasn't actually." Clarke was a bit confused about the woman who really didn't seem to want to talk with her at all.

"I'm gonna be honest with you girl, you're not my type at all."

"Okay well if we're going to be perfectly honest neither are you."

"I'm everyone's type." stated the blonde scrutinizing her nails with interest.

Clarke didn't even know what to respond so she went back to her drink, praying for the remaining 1minute and 30 seconds to pass quickly. The next date Clarke had after this one was not a great one either as the guy totally freaked out when she mentioned that she had a son. Of course if she was considering dating someone this person must love children, she would never think about dating someone who didn't, her son was her priority. The three next person she talked to weren't dating material for Clarke either and the blonde was beginning to wonder if she was doing anything wrong or if speed dating just wasn't the thing for her. Thankfully Raven was the next one she was supposed to have a date with, the brunette sat in front of the blonde with a big smile on her face.

"You found someone." stated Clarke.

"Yeah it will do for tonight." answered her friend. "So, someone interesting on your side?"

"No. I really hate speed dating Raven."

"What happened?"

"People freak out when they learn i have a son."

"So you're looking for a date, not a hook up, at least we're making progress."

"Are we really?" sighed Clarke.

Raven put her hand on the blonde's trying to comfort her.

"You're very touchy-feely Ms Reyes, maybe i should try that approach." laughed Clarke. "God i need another drink. When all this is over you're buying me one."

"Will do Griffin."

"So who's the lucky person you're going back home with and are you really gonna make me take a cab?"

"Shit i forgot about that! It's okay, i'll see him tomorrow night."

"So it's a he."

"Yeah it's the blonde one, three tables away."

The bell rang meaning that Raven had to move tables again.

"Hold on, eight more people and we're done." she said before leaving the table.

"Oh yeah eight..." repeated the blonde. "Can't wait."

Clarke's next date was a man in his mid-thirties who seemed more interested in her cleavage than in herself. Clarke quickly made him understand that the date would have no follow up and before she knew it the next suitor arrived. It was the blonde Raven's was going to hook up with. The guy's name was Wick and he was clearly looking for a hook up and was a bit full of himself. The girl who followed was actually a straight girl who had tried speed dating before but didn't found what she was looking for so she came here.

The next person to sit in front of her was yet again a familiar face :

"Nyilah?"

"Clarke!" greeted the blonde in front of her with a big smile.

They met a year ago and Clarke spent a few nights with the woman but they had not seen each other in a few months. Judging by the smile on the other blonde's face she held no bad feelings toward Clarke and the fact that they were not seeing each other anymore.

"How are you?"

"I'm great. A bit lonely these days so i'm trying new things as you can see, but i'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm good thanks."

"Well if you're looking for fun i could give you a ride back home." she suggested raising one of her eyebrows seductively and toying with the bracelet Clarke had on her wrist. The woman was direct, Clarke remembered that about her.

"I came with a friend so i think i'm gonna have to say no, i'm sorry." Clarke refused with a polite smile.

"Okay. Well if you ever change your mind just give me a call." she took her hand away and handed her a piece of paper with her number. "I changed my number so now you have the new one."

"Thanks Nyilah." the sex was actually pretty great and this could always be handy so she took the number and put the paper in her pocket.

"I thought you were dating someone when we stopped talking..." began Nyilah.

"Oh no i wasn't. I'm sorry. I've been very busy with work."

"I see. Well if you ever need me you have my number."

Clarke nodded,

"I'm not actually sure speed dating is made for me." Nyilah admitted, looking around with a look of disappointment on her face.

"It makes two of us."

"What brought you here tonight then?"

"My best friend dragged me here. She's trying to marry me off. I swear she can actually be worse than my mother."

"Oh yeah Reyes! I knew i had seen that girl before but i couldn't remember where." recalled Nyilah, knocking on the table.

They talked a bit about the night they met before the bell rang again.

"I guess time's up. It was great to see you again Niylah."

"Likewise. Bye Clarke." said the blonde before leaving.

The girl Clarke met after Niylah was one of a kind. She actually had a list with her and seemed to be ticking boxes on it every time Clarke answered a question.

"Can i ask you something too?" asked Clarke to the red haired woman in front of her named Holly.

"Well i would like to finish up with my questions before you ask yours."

"Is it an interrogation?"

"I need to see if we're compatible before i consider dating."

"You know having a real conversation would actually be more pleasant for both of us."

"I see you don't want to answer my questions. Is there something you want to hide, Clarke?"

"Except myself from you, not really no."

Holly's face when Clarke told her that was priceless, she gasped and let her pen fall on her knees. Clarke was thankful when the bell rang ten seconds later.

" _God this one was nuts._ " Clarke thought when Holly left.

"Two more." Clarke sighed before realizing she said it out loud and the guy in front of her was raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well thank you." he said before walking away to the bar.

"Okay... the night is going better and better. Maybe i should leave too." said Clarke finishing her drink.

She actually waited for the last person to come and sit at her table. The woman was really pretty and nice but Clarke didn't feel anything special, that spark that would have make her consider seeing her again. She smiled nicely at the girl when the bell rang and hurried to the bar to meet Raven.

"So how was the rest of your speed dating?" asked her friend when she arrived at the bar.

"A disaster."

"That bad?"

"Have you talked to the crazy chick with the list?" asked Clarke in disbelief.

"Oh yeah i admit that one was...special."

"So no one for you tonight?"

"No. My first date, Greg the tattoo artist, he was nice but too young. The last one was nice but i just didn't feel anything special. Oh and Niylah was there!"

"Oh yeah your fuck buddy, i wasn't sure it was her."

"It was."

"So are you gonna see her again?"

"I'm not sure. She's not really into dating you know."

"Yeah. Well you'll find someone Clarke, don't worry."

Raven bought that drink she promised Clarke and they got the results of the speed dating. Greg and the girl she met last wanted to see Clarke again.

Raven went to have a word with Wick and came back to Clarke telling her that they could go home if that was what the blonde wanted. Clarke nodded and Raven drove her back to her place.

"I'm sorry for bringing you tonight. I thought it would be fun." said Raven sadly when she parked in front of Clarke's building.

"It's okay Raven, you know i love going out with you. Maybe no speed dating next time though okay?"

"Noted. Goodnight Clarke."

"Goodnight Raven." said the blonde closing the car door and entering her building.

As she was waiting for the elevator to get to her floor, she thought about the night she had. None of the people she met tonight had made Clarke want to know more about them, then Clarke let her thoughts go to Lexa Woods. She felt like there was something going on between them, and Clarke really hoped that the woman would come by her gallery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I've never done speed dating so i hope that was okay ^^  
> (And thank God for that life saving post i saw on tumblr about the problem with the extra spaces between the lines it saved me so much time!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i'm a little dummy i posted chapter 4 last week but not the corrected version so i'm sorry if there were some mistakes but i edited the chapter so it's all good now ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Lexa had just came back from her run with Lincoln. She had also brought her dog with her so she wouldn't have to go back to the park with him in the afternoon. Lincoln had asked her if she had plans for the day, she didn't go into details but did say that she was going to head to the center of the city to do some shopping. Lexa didn't mention that she was planning on seeing Clarke to her friend though. After a quick stop at the coffee shop the two of them went their separate ways and went back home. Lexa showered and ate her lunch before going to her room to get dressed. Her dog poked his head through the door while Lexa was trying on her third outfit; she didn't know what she was supposed to wear, she wanted to make a good impression because it would be the first time Clarke would see her outside of work.

" _It's not a date Lexa._ " she said trying to calm down and recenter herself. The brunette selected a pair of tight blue jeans, her favorite boots and a dark pullover. She went quickly to the bathroom to check her hair, putting it in a ponytail before deciding that it would be better with her hair down. Putting her curls in place she exited the bathroom and put on her long black coat and her green scarf. She took a deep breath before turning to her dog.

"Wish me luck, buddy." Lexa said to the Labrador, patting his head before grabbing her handbag and keys and heading out.

After a twenty-minute ride in the subway Lexa found herself in front of Clarke's gallery: it was located on an intersection between two streets. Two windows displayed the blonde's work on each street. Lexa only saw the painting on the street she was on; it depicted the sky and stars, the different shades of color really impressed her, she couldn't wait to see the rest of Clarke's art so she decided to enter the gallery. As Lexa opened the door a bell rang, announcing her entrance.

The place had white walls where paintings and drawings were on display, a counter was on the left side of the room behind which a half open door could be seen. Lexa didn't have time to take a look around before a familiar blonde opened the door completely and gave her a bright smile. Clarke was as cute as she was when Lexa first met her, she was wearing a blue plaid shirt with a white and loose tank top underneath and a pair of jeans with holes in them. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and her clothes had small paint stains.

"Hi Ms Griffin, i hope it's a good time." greeted Lexa.

"Ms Woods!" she answered as she stopped in front of her handing her her hand "So what brings you here today?"

"I was in the neighborhood so i thought i'd pay you a visit" she lied.

"I'm glad you did. Let me give you a tour." proposed Clarke as Lexa nodded. "So what is on display here is a mix of my work. I selected pieces that would work together to keep a sense of continuity between all of my exhibits."

She followed the blonde through the gallery and stopped in front of a painting of the sky, a bit similar to the one she saw exposed in the shop front.

"This is really beautiful, the one that you can see from the street is too." commented Lexa.

"Thank you. They're from my first art exhibition"

"How many did you have?"

"Three, i'm currently working on the fourth one."

"That's really great." answered Lexa as the two of them continued to walk around the gallery.

From time to time Lexa asked questions about some paintings, mainly about the technical aspect of the art not wanting to intrude and ask questions that would be too personal, they didn't really know each other after all. Clarke happily told her about her creating process and the different methods she used.

Lexa was a bit confused by some terms but she let Clarke speak, however the blonde must have seen the clueless look on Lexa's face because she said :

"I'm sorry. I get a little carried away when i begin talking about art."

"It's okay" assured Lexa. "You're passionate about it, i get that. Plus weren't you supposed to help me learn more about art?"

"You're right." nodded the blonde.

"Have you always wanted to be an artist?" wondered Lexa.

"Well i actually started off with a degree in medicine at the university, but i felt like it wasn't what i was meant to do, you know. My mother is a doctor so i wanted to follow her footsteps but it wasn't for me. So i went to an art school instead." explained the blonde leading her to the last part of the gallery.

There were five paintings, all looking very dark and they seemed to have a different style than the rest of the blonde's work. Something felt off.

"This is really different from the rest of your work, it doesn't seem like it belongs with it." Lexa said shyly to the other women.

She didn't want to offend her but the five pieces of art in front of her didn't feel like the blonde or maybe it was a really dark time for Clarke and she wanted to express it in her art.

"See you have good eyes for art" complimented Clarke with a smile. "Actually, this isn't my work, it's another artist who doesn't have a gallery so i expose her work for her here. Not every artist has the luck to have their own gallery."

"Oh! I see." said Lexa in realization, turning to the blonde. "So you were trying to trick me Miss Griffin?"

"Maybe..." teased Clarke.

She got lost in Clarke's eyes and saw that the blonde was looking at her with the same intensity she had when they were on the bus. " _Maybe there's something there_   _in the end._ " Lexa told herself.

*

Clarke was pretty sure that she should turn away before she did something she would regret but there was something magnetic in the way the brunette was looking at her, and she felt undeniably attracted to her. Clarke felt her heartbeat speed up. Lexa wasn't looking away and Clarke was pretty sure they were leaning into each other. Suddenly someone cleared their throat loudly. Raven. She had been so lost into the brunette's gaze Clarke didn't hear the door of the gallery open. Clarke broke eye contact with Lexa.

"Excuse me, i'll be right back." she told Lexa, giving her an apologetic smile before going to her best friend who was smirking.

"I thought last night was a disaster. Did you go out without me after I dropped you home?" said Raven checking out Lexa.

"What? No! Raven it's not someone i met last night!"

"Who's the hottie then?"

"It's Aden's teacher!"

"Holy shit!" yelled Raven.

Lexa had obviously heard the words because she turned to the women before giving them a worried look and turning back to the painting she was looking at when Clarke gave her a little smile.

"What is she doing here?"

"She came to see the gallery and my art."

"Yeah just here to check the merchandise" said Raven with her eyebrow raised.

"Stop it. It's nothing like that." sighed Clarke, blushing.

"Looks like someone's got the hots for the teacher." Raven was teasing her but Clarke knew that she was probably right about that and didn't try to deny it.

"So...are you going to do something about it?"

"I don't know..." Clarke replied, hesitating.

"Why? You like her and well she didn't came just for the art Clarke, I saw how you two were looking at each other before I interrupted. Plus she obviously likes children or she wouldn't be a teacher, she's hot... What do you have to lose?"

"She's Aden's teacher Raven!"

The black haired woman rolled her eyes at her :

"Clarke! Forget about that. Would you have asked her out if she wasn't Aden's teacher?"

"Of course but..."

"No buts" Raven cut in "it doesn't matter, she's not going to be your son's teacher forever! Ask. Her. Out."

Clarke sighed knowing that her friend would not drop it and asked :

"So anyway why did you drop by?"

"Yeah i was just coming to ask you to come with me do some shopping but i can see you have your hands full so i'll leave you to it." Raven smiled gesturing at Lexa with her head.

Clarke hoped that the brunette didn't see Raven doing that, her friend could be so obvious sometimes. Raven gave her a quick hug before getting out of the gallery. Clarke looked at Lexa, her back turned to her, wondering if maybe she should try and take Raven's advice. She took a deep breath and walked over to Lexa.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize Miss Griffin." Lexa assured her.

"Would you have coffee with me?" blurted Clarke before she could even think about it. "I mean, there's a coffee shop nearby...where i get coffee.".

The blonde slapped herself mentally, " _There's a coffee shop where i get coffee. Oh my God Clarke what even?! She's going to think i'm stupid._ " she thought before looking back at Lexa who had a big smile on her face.

"I would like that very much." answered Lexa after what felt like minutes for Clarke.

"Great. Let me just grab my coat."

Clarke quickly went back to her studio, there was no mirrors so she couldn't look at herself. She took her coat and her purse hoping that she was okay. Clarke took a deep breath, she didn't think that the teacher would actually accept and now she did. The blonde began to doubt again and shook her head, she couldn't stay here for 5 minutes, Lexa was waiting for her.

"You can do it Clarke." she told herself before leaving the room.

"I'm ready." she declared.

"Alright. Are you sure you can close your gallery? I mean i wouldn't want to interrupt your work and stop people from coming here..." asked Lexa, timidly.

"Don't worry about that." the blonde winked as she opened the door for them.

*

They arrived at the coffee shop two minutes later, Lexa had been pretty quiet during their walk to the place only nodding with a polite smile or answering with short sentences when Clarke talked to her. She was having so many thoughts and doubts, wondering if she should have accepted Clarke's invitation to have coffee, still thinking it was highly unprofessional to get close to her pupils' parents, but how could she say no to Clarke? Her mind was telling her no but her heart was telling her yes, and for once she listened to her heart instead of her head. She was going to have coffee with a very attractive woman, " _try to focus Lexa_ " she told herself while she followed the blonde into the coffee shop.

The place was nice and colorful, with pop music playing in the background. Clarke turned to her and asked :

"Black, no sugar?"

Her coffee order, she remembered what she took from the day they went to the museum. Lexa was touched by that.

"Yes." she smiled.

Clarke turned back to the counter and ordered coffees for both of them before taking out her wallet out of her purse to pay for it.

"It will be 5,60$ Miss." said the cashier as Clarke handed her money over.

"Oh no Ms Griffin, let me pay for it please" Lexa embarrassed.

"No way, i'm paying." stated the blonde.

"But..." began Lexa.

"No buts. I asked you if you wanted to get coffee, i pay." cut Clarke in a serious tone, raising her eyebrows at her.

It looked like Lexa wouldn't be able to change her mind so she nodded and took the coffee the blonde was handing to her.

"It's a nice place." noted Lexa as they sat in a small booth next to the window. "You come here often?"

" _God Lexa way to go, using awful lines like this one, she's definitely going to want to go on a date with you_ " the brunette slapped herself mentally, hoping that the blonde wouldn't notice it.

"Yeah, it's my favorite coffee place in the city. I'm glad you like it. "

Lexa took a sip of coffee and nodded.

"So...hum...are you from Arkadia Ms Woods?"

"Actually no, i arrived here two months ago for my job. I'm from Polis." she explained.

"Do you like it here?"

"I do. I mean i miss my family and my friends but Arkadia is a very interesting city and the people have been very welcoming." Lexa smiled at the blonde before continuing. "Did you grow up here?"

"Yes. Arker born and raised! I've lived here all my life, well not all my life. I've been outside of the city and the country a few times but it's home, i always come back. Arkadia is an awesome city! Have you been to Arkadia's Park? "

"Yeah some of my colleagues gave me a little tour of the city. Blake showed me the..."

"Blake? Bellamy Blake? The teacher?" the blonde cut in.

" _Shit, i shouldn't have mentioned him_ " thought the brunette. However looking at Clarke she saw that the woman had an amused smile on her face and didn't seem angry.

"Yes." hesitated Lexa.

The blonde giggled before saying :

"The poor guy! Did you know that he asked me out once?"

"And he fell. I know this story, yes." smiled Lexa.

"Oh so you talk about me with your colleagues Ms Woods?"

Lexa felt her cheeks heat up and put a hand through her hair before stuttering :

"I...Well..."

"You're cute when you're embarrassed, Ms Woods." Clarke said as she finished her coffee.

The teacher blushed even more. Clarke was definitely flirting with her, no doubts about it this time. The certainty eased the knot that Lexa had had in her stomach since she decided to come see the blonde.

"So you're working on a new exhibit?"

"Yes. I've done eleven new pieces and i'm working on the last one. I'm pretty happy that for once i'm ahead of my schedule so that's great."

"How so?"

"Well once i'm done with the painting i have to prepare everything in the gallery, removing my other paintings, putting up the new ones, sending the invitations for the opening night, preparing the opening party...that sort of thing." explained Clarke.

"That's a lot of work, i'm sure. Do you have someone to help you with it?"

"I usually call my friends or family to help me if they can, and Aden is always happy to help with the invitations."

"He's a good kid." the teacher nodded, taking in the last sip of her coffee.

They talked a bit more about the preparations for the exhibition opening before both of them decided that it was time to leave. The two of them were now outside the coffee shop. It was now or never thought the brunette. Lexa took a deep breath and asked :

"Would you go on a date with me Ms Griffin?"

Her heart was racing waiting for Clarke answer. The blonde was looking at her with a confused expression on her face. Lexa thought that she had ruined everything, Clarke was going to say no, of course. She had been friendly with her but there was nothing more to it.

The teacher was trying to think about something to say to apologize and to not embarrass herself further when Clarke admitted :

"I thought that us going out for coffee was a date."

Lexa thought for a second that she hadn't heard the woman right.

"God i haven't been on a date in so long, i'm so bad at this it's embarrassing." Clarke continued, putting her hand on her forehead.

"Oh!" said Lexa in realization. "I didn't want to assume that it was. I mean... I wanted to but i wasn't even sure you were interested in me."

"I am." Clarke said looking her right in the eyes.

Lexa felt herself blush once again at the blonde's answer.

"Alright." the teacher smiled, trying to regain some composure but looking into those blue eyes in front of her she couldn't, she felt like a teenager having a crush, this was embarrassing. "Are you free next week then?"

Clarke frowned and gave her an apologetic smile as she answered :

"I'm sorry i can't next week. What about the week after?"

"Yeah of course, don't worry."

Lexa was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't go on a date with the blonde soon but at least they were going on a date. Clarke had said yes.

"I will see you next week at school. Bye Ms Woods."

"Bye Ms Griffin." whispered the brunette, watching the woman walk away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i just wanted to say that i'm sorry that i couldn't update sooner this week.  
> Also i replaced the « and » by " " in all the chapters so it will no longer be a problem ;)

**Raven :**

**"So how did it go with the hot teacher?"**

It was Monday afternoon and Clarke was surprised that Raven took so long to ask her about Lexa and her, seeing as she was sometimes more involved in Clarke's dating life than Clarke herself. The blonde thought that her friend must have been working on a project this weekend or she would have asked her earlier.

**Clarke :**

**"We went for coffee and we have a date next week."**

Clarke responded to her friend text but before her phone screen could turn off Raven was calling her.

"Damn Griffin, I told you the hottie was into you!" she yelled in the blonde's ear.

"Yeah seems that you were right." Clarke laughed.

She was happy that Raven had pushed her to ask Lexa out.

"I love hearing you say that, can you repeat it? I need to record that or something."

"Shut up, Raven." said Clarke, rolling her eyes at her friend, even if she could not see it.

"So anyway, why next week?" Raven asked.

"Aden is with me this week, you know that."

"Clarke, I can baby-sit while you go on your date!"

"No Raven, he's with me. I will go on my date next week, it can wait." said Clarke in a tone that ended the debate before it even began.

Aden was her priority and having a date with Lexa, no matter how badly Clarke wanted to go, could wait. She had made herself a promise to be more there for him and having Finn reminding her that she had not been able to do so since the beginning of the school year was making her feel like she wasn't the best mother she could be.

If she was going to date the teacher, she would have to understand that Clarke would always put her son first. The talk with Raven reminded her that she would need to tackle the subject with Lexa when they will be on her date. She couldn't start something with someone who could not understand that.

"Alright Clarke." Raven replied knowing that there was no reason to insist. "I have to go. See ya!"

"Bye Raven."

Clarke hung up the phone before seeing what the time was; in fifteen minutes she would have to leave and go pick her son up at school. The blonde sighed, looking at her almost finished painting. It was the last one for her new art exhibition. She was grateful that she was nearly done with it, she felt like all the anger and doubts she had in her these past few months had been put into her art and the artist felt drained by it. Clarke always put all of herself in her art, it was authentic and true, that's why it felt like a personal experience for her to see people appreciating her art. She had been really touched that Lexa had come to see it and the blonde hoped that her work had showed the teacher that art wasn't just decorative but so much more.

Clarke put down her paintbrush and got ready to leave for the school. She closed her gallery and drove to Mount Weather. For once, Clarke was early. She took the time to have a look at herself in the car's mirror before she went out. Winter was definitely here, she felt the cold wind's sting on her skin.

The blonde caught sight of Lexa in the crowd of children coming out of the school. She was standing in the middle of them, smiling as they said goodbye to her. The brunette really looked like her work was the best thing in the world.

Clarke came up to the teacher, smiling brightly.

"Good afternoon Miss Woods."

The brunette turned to her when she heard her voice :

"Miss Griffin!" she greeted happily.

"Mom!" Aden had arrived, running into his mother's arms.

She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the head.

"How was school baby?"

"Mom!" he hissed.

Clarke laughed and put her hand through his hair before apologizing. Aden was at that age when children don't want their parents to embarrass them in front of their friends.

"I have to talk to Ms Woods for a bit, okay?" she told her son while Lexa looked at her, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

Aden nodded before going back to his friends. Lexa was closer to the blonde now and waited for her to speak.

"Actually I wanted to ask you for your phone number. I mean when we were talking about the date the other day I completely forgot to ask you and I guess it would be pretty difficult for us to plan anything without having a way of contacting each other."

Here she was again talking way too much because Lexa made her nervous. The brunette let a relieved breath out.

"I thought you wanted to cancel." admitted the teacher, visibly relieved.

"No, no, I don't." Clarke assured her.

"Alright" she smiled while she took a piece of paper and a pen out of her pocket and quickly wrote down her number on it before giving it to the blonde trying to hide the fact that the fact that she was giving her number to a parent from her colleagues.

Fortunately none of them were looking in their direction.

"There you go Ms Griffin."

"Thank you. I will see you tomorrow then." Clarke said, gesturing Aden that it was time to leave.

"I will see you tomorrow" nodded Lexa.

* 

Clarke was on the couch alone, Aden was already sleeping. The boy was exhausted from his day at school and didn't stay up a lot after they had dinner. They watched some cartoons before he started yawning and fell asleep at his mother side. Clarke had put him in bed as soon as she heard him snoring.

It was not 10pm yet and Clarke was looking at her phone with Lexa's number in her hand wondering if it was okay for her to text the teacher. She considered asking Raven for advice for a few minutes but she finally opened a new text and send it to Lexa. Clarke felt her heartbeat raise while she waited eagerly for the teacher to answer.

**Clarke :**

**"I don't know what you made the kids do today but Aden is already sleeping.**

**Clarke Griffin"**

Clarke felt her phone buzz a few minutes later.

**Lexa :**

**"Sport is the key, Ms Griffin."**

**Clarke :**

**"Please, we're going on a date next week, call me Clarke"**

**Lexa :**

**"Alright, Clarke ;)"**

**"Speaking of the date, does Monday evening work for you?"**

**Clarke :**

**"Monday is perfect"**

To be honest Clarke couldn't wait to go on the date with the teacher, the sooner the better. She was happy because it seemed that Lexa was eager to see her too.

**Lexa :**

**"Great"**

**Clarke :**

**"=)"**

**"I'm so bored, that documentary I'm watching is making me sleepy."**

" _That was so random Clarke_ " the blonde thought, rolling her eyes at herself.

**Lexa :**

**"Maybe watch something else, or go to sleep?"**

**Clarke :**

**"At 10pm? I can't remember the last time I went to sleep that early. I must've been 12yo."**

**Lexa :**

**"Oh I see."**

**Clarke :**

**"What, don't tell me you go to sleep at 10."**

**Lexa :**

**"I don't"**

**Clarke :**

**"Phew"**

**Lexa :**

**"I'm not as uptight as you think I am."**

**Clarke :**

**"Oh yeah "miss adventurous" I trust you ;)"**

**Lexa :**

**"Damn, I should've kept my mouth shut on this one"**

**Clarke :**

**"I'm just teasing you Lexa"**

**Lexa :**

**"I know"**

Clarke wanted to tease the teacher a bit more about that adventurous side of hers, but she also wanted to know what Lexa had prepared for the date. She asked her about it for a while, but the teacher didn't say a whole lot. Maybe Lexa wanted to surprise her and Clarke was okay with it, she didn't really care where they were going because she was sure they would have a great time together.

*

Lexa spent her Saturday afternoon in the city wandering around and thinking about her date with Clarke before heading back home. She had no idea where to take the artist on a date, she didn't know the city that well. She considered calling Anya for help but it wouldn't have helped at all because Anya didn't know the city either. The brunette had spent about an hour searching for a good place on internet after she came back from her walk in the city before she headed out to Lincoln's for dinner.

"Lexa!" greeted Octavia as she opened the door.

"Hey!"

The smaller brunette gave her a little hug before she closed the door behind her. Octavia was a bit of a wild one but the two women got along very well and Lexa was glad to have made another friend in Arkadia.

"How are you?" asked Lexa as she followed Octavia to the kitchen.

"It was pretty calm this week actually, I came back from my shift like an hour ago."

The teacher nodded in understanding, Octavia was a cop. Lexa had to admit that when she told her that she was a bit surprised seeing how tiny the brunette looked but she quickly understood that the woman could handle herself.

"Hey Lex!" said Bellamy, handing her a beer.

"Thanks." she had seen the two men this morning for their Saturday morning run.

Lincoln was making home-made pizzas, the muscular guy looked so cute with his little apron. It was written "I'm a cutie pie" on it with a picture of a slice of pie instead of the word. He wiped his hand on his forehead before smiling to the girls who just entered the room. Lexa let out a little laugh when she saw that Lincoln had put flour on his forehead. Octavia giggled before taking a napkin to wipe the flour off his face.

"Thanks babe" smiled Lincoln before giving his girlfriend a little peck on the mouth.

Lexa smiled, both of them were so cute and looked so happy together and she hoped that she would have a relationship like their own someday, maybe with Clarke.

" _Too soon to think about stuff like that_ " thought the teacher.

"So O, you were going to tell me what happened today before Lexa arrived" Bellamy reminded his sister.

"Oh yeah so, we were on patrol and we came across that dude, he was looking like he was peeing on the street or something so we went to him. The guy quickly put his stuff back in his pants and wow he was clearly packing because that bulge was pretty big. He kept touching his junk with both his hands through his pants the hole time and Indra gave him his fine the guy took it and that's when his penis fell out." Octavia said mimicking the scene as she talked.

"WHAT?!" Bellamy yelled in disbelief, totally absorbed by the story Octavia was telling them.

"Yeah well we decided to do a body search and we discovered the guy put bags of cocaine into his pants and when I searched him he was like "no ma'am that's my dick"" Octavia explained.

The four of them laughed at the story and then Octavia told them more funny things that happened to her at work, the guys had already heard them but they laughed along anyway while Lincoln cooked the dinner. Lexa was happy because it definitely helped her relax and Octavia had some really good stories in store and it made her feel included.

To be honest, at first Lexa was a bit intimidated by her group of new friends, the three of them had known each other for such a long time and were kind of part of the same family, and arriving without knowing any of them had been a bit scary but they had all been very welcoming with her. Octavia had admitted that she was grateful to have another girl around because Bellamy wasn't great at keeping his girlfriends long enough for them to meet her and Lincoln.

*

"Guys" began Lexa nervously. "I need help with something."

Her three friends were looking at her with encouraging faces, waiting for her to continue.

"I asked a girl on a date but I don't know where to take her, I don't know the city."

"Ooooooh!" teased Bellamy nudging her arm. "Is it someone we know?"

Lexa's eyes widen at her friend's question and she hoped that none of them would have noticed it.

"No you don't." she lied.

"What does she like?"

"She loves art and soccer but other than that I don't know. I already searched for these two options but I didn't find anything for Monday. I was thinking a dinner in a nice place."

"Hum I don't do restaurants much..." said Bellamy.

"No wonder why you're still alone if you don't take your girls out Bell." cut in Octavia.

"Actually you could take her to L'Arche, it's a French restaurant near the park, the food is delicious. It's pretty fancy though, I don't know if that's what you're looking for." suggested Lincoln turning to Octavia.

"Oh yeah, there's a pretty romantic ambiance there. Lincoln took me there for our 1st year anniversary." Octavia added while she smiled at Lincoln.

Fancy restaurant meant fancy clothes, Lexa felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of Clarke in a dress. Yes, the fancy French restaurant was a great idea.

"It sounds perfect."

"I'm gonna give you the number, I hope Monday won't be too late for a reservation"

Lincoln left the kitchen to go retrieve the number. Octavia got them new beers before continuing :

"So where did you two meet?"

"At a coffee shop" was all that Lexa could think about in such a short amount of time.

She could not tell them that she met Clarke at school because it would definitely raise their suspicion. Lexa was glad that they didn't get the chance to ask more about this when Lincoln came back with the restaurant number just in time. She excused herself five minutes to make the call to the restaurant, it wasn't very late in the evening and Lincoln assured that they should still be open. She made reservations for two Monday evening then Lexa made her way back to the kitchen where Lincoln was cutting the pizza.

"Right on time!" exclaimed Lincoln

"Thanks guys, I got my reservation."

"Awesome! Your girl is gonna love it."

"I hope so" answered Lexa shyly.

"So what's her name?" inquired Bellamy taking a slice of pizza.

" _Shit_ " thought Lexa, " _I should have never asked them for advice. Now they won't stop with the questions and I will have to lie again._ "

After a few seconds of silence, Octavia came to Lexa's help.

"Man let the girl breathe, she'll tell us all about it after the date. Am I right Lex?" joked the woman.

Lexa let the breath she was holding out and nodded as she began eating. Lincoln's pizzas were delicious and the rest of the dinner was nice. They didn't bring Lexa's date again and she was thankful for that. She didn't want to lie to her friends but she had to for now. When Lexa said goodbye to them Octavia walked her to the door.

"Is everything okay Lexa? You seemed kinda tense back there when we were talking about your date." she asked Lexa before she opened the door.

Being a cop Octavia had a great eye when it came to knowing if people were hiding something or lying so she must have sense that Lexa was uncomfortable talking about Clarke.

"Yeah don't worry, I was just a bit stressed out planning the date and all. I haven't been out in a while" she admitted.

"Alright. Well you know I'm here to talk if you need to." offered Octavia.

Lexa nodded and said goodnight to the woman before leaving. She didn't know where Clarke stood when it came to them dating, (if they even made it that far), that is why she had to lie about who her date was. She didn't want to make Clarke uncomfortable. Lexa trusted her friends but for now she would have to lie and see what happens with the blonde.

On the subway she texted Clarke, it was 11pm and she hoped that she would still be up. She wanted to text her the details of the date because Clarke had asked her about where they were going the other day and also because she was a bit excited about the fact that she had finally found a place for it thanks to her friends. Lexa thought that a date at a fancy restaurant was a good first date, maybe not the most exciting or original place in the world but dinner at a restaurant is pretty much always a safe kind of date.

**Lexa :**

**"Hello Clarke. Just wanted to tell you that I made a reservation at 8pm or us Monday."**

**Clarke :**

**"Perfect. What do I wear?"**

**Lexa :**

**"Something fancy."**

**Lexa :**

**"If that's okay with you. I mean I can totally make a reservation somewhere else."**

**Clarke :**

**"Fancy is okay ;)"**

**Lexa :**

**"Alright. I'll pick you up at 7:30?"**

**Clarke :**

**"Works for me."**

Clarke then texted her her address before saying goodnight to her. Lexa couldn't wait for Monday, she walked all the way back to her home with a big smile on her face. This date would be the her first actual date in a long time, since breaking up with Costia, Lexa didn't really had the will to go out and date anyone new but she finally felt like she found someone that could eventually be part of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was okay.  
> Next chapter is the date! =)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date night!!!

Lexa arrived a few minutes early at Clarke's address, she was in front of her door, a box of chocolate under her arm. Her sweaty hands were fidgeting with her black dress trying to straighten a non existent crease on it.

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. A few seconds later it opened and Clarke was there standing before her in a white dress showing a little bit of cleavage. It was the first time that Lexa was seeing Clarke with her hair down, it was wavy and falling around her shoulders, a little shorter than Lexa's. Clarke was absolutely breathtaking

"Hey!"

"Good evening Clarke. You're beautiful." blurted Lexa.

The comment left the blonde with a big smile.

"Thank you. I see I have some competition though." she said winking at Lexa.

"I...I bought these for you."

Lexa handed Clarke the chocolate box she bought in a renowned chocolate shop in the center of the town. She was hoping that Clarke would like them better than flowers.

"Oh I love these! Thank you Lexa!" exclaimed Clarke taking the box and putting it on the entry way console.

"Are you ready?" asked Lexa.

"I am, just let me get my bag."

Lexa nodded and waited for the blonde to get outside of her apartment and to close the door behind her before leading her to the car. The drive to the restaurant was nice, Clarke was very outgoing and it helped Lexa to finally get rid of her stress.

"I hope my place wasn't too hard to find."

"No it's okay, we actually don't live on opposite sides of the city so the ride wasn't that long."

"Oh, in which part of Arkadia do you live?" inquired Clarke.

"I live near the school, you know there's a pretty small park a few blocks away from Mount Weather, well my building is just in front of it."

"That's nice." commented Clarke.  
"Yeah I was looking for a place near any park of the city because of my dog."

_"Shit; Clark!"_ she thought, Lexa couldn't tell her date that her dog and her have the same name.

"Oh you have a dog?"

"Yeah it's a chocolate labrador." replied Lexa.

_"Please don't ask me his name, please don't ask me his name."_

"Oh he must be so cute! Aden always ask for a pet but in the apartment I don't know... It wouldn't be easy."

"I know what you mean. I got my dog when I was in Polis and I had a little garden where he could run and everything but I didn't want to leave him so he came with me. But he seems happy."

"What's him name?" asked Clarke.

_"Oh no! God Lexa think of something quickly!"_

She had to find a name right now, a weird silence began and Lexa was trying to think of something.

"Huh..." hesitated Lexa.

Right in front of her a big billboard showing an add for Reese's.

"His name is Reese!" she yelled, hoping that the blonde would not be startled by her answer, she needed to calm down.

"Ok! That's nice. I thought for a second that you didn't remember his name."

"No no I was trying to see if I was on the right way to the restaurant. I don't want to get lost." she tried to joke to hide her little moment of panic.

Lexa changed the subject of the conversation, asking Clarke about the city and the places she liked to go to until they were around the park. After they finally found a spot to park near the restaurant, they got out of the car and were walking on the sidewalk when Lexa saw the front of the restaurant. Lexa was hoping that Clarke never went here before.

"Here we are!" she said, gesturing the illuminated sign that said "L'Arche"

Clarke stopped right where she was when she saw the sign. Lexa was looking at her, confused by the behavior of the blonde.

"Clarke, are you okay?" she asked worriedly facing her.

*

Was she okay? The restaurant Clarke was going to with Lexa was the exact same place where her awful date with the guy who left her to pay the bill happened. Now Lexa couldn't have known this.

"Yeah...Well it's this place..."

Lexa was looking at her, confusion all over her face, waiting for Clarke to continue.

"I went here about a year ago." she explained. "My friend set me up on a date, everything went good. The waiter came and gave me the bill so I asked him where my date was because he left for the bathroom a few minutes before. The waiter told me the guy left and I had to pay the bill because he didn't. He looked sorry for me but yeah that's the embarrassing story."

"Oh Clarke I'm sorry" Lexa replied, putting a reassuring hand on her arm. "That guy was an ass."

"Yeah he was." nodded Clarke. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I could cancel the reservation and we can go somewhere else if you want." suggested Lexa.

She was so thoughtful but Clarke didn't want to ruin the date, Lexa had made reservations for them and it was not the memory of an awful date that was going to make Clarke bail on Lexa. She had been so looking forward to this date.

"No it's fine, I trust you won't leave me at the restaurant alone."

"I won't. Let's make sure this date and this place will leave you with a better impression, shall we?" said Lexa presenting Clarke her arm for her to take.

Clarke nodded and took Lexa's arm in her hand. They entered the restaurant, the place had changed a bit, the decoration had been renewed and the tables were put in a different way. The restaurant seemed to have a way more romantic setting that it had the last time Clarke was here.

"Good evening Misses" greeted the man at the entrance.

"Good evening. I have a reservation, under Woods" Lexa replied to the maitre d'.

"A table for two." confirmed the man. "If you would follow me please."

He lead them to a small table in the corner of a small room who was packed but the tables were far apart from each other and it created an intimate ambiance, definitely a good place for a date.

"Here you are. Your waiter will be there shortly. Bon appétit!"

"Thank you." said Lexa as her and Clarke sat down. "It's a nice place."

"It is." approved Clarke.

The waitress arrived a few seconds later with menus in her hands then left them to decide what they were going to take.

"I have never been to a French restaurant before." admitted Lexa while looking at the menu with a confused face. "I should've studied before taking you here." she joked.

"Haha, I've got your back then. I lived in France for 6 months."

"You did?"

"Yeah, my art school had a exchange program with France so I went there for a while. It's a beautiful country."

Clarke had been there for six months, she liked living there and she got to see some beautiful things like the Louvre. She went there with her class and spend some of her free time at the museum to draw and look at all the art that was there. It had been a great experience for her as a young art student.

These six months had been quite a difficult time between her and Finn, he blamed her for wanting to leave him. They had a little break while Clarke was in France and when she got back they resumed their relationship, not talking much about what may have happened while they were on said break.

But now was not the time for Clarke to think about her ex anymore, she was on a date with Lexa and she was going to enjoy it.

"That must have been great."

"It was." smiled Clarke.

"So what are you recommending to me then?" questioned Lexa looking above the menu in her hands.

"I would suggest foie gras, this is so delicious, especially on toasts." replied Clarke, remembering the last time time she ate foie gras, it had been a while. "Then I don't know, it depends on what you like."

"I was thinking maybe the lobster" said Lexa.

"Good choice."

"Misses are you ready to order?" the waitress was back.

They ended up taking foie gras first then Lexa ordered lobster as her main course. As for Clarke she decided to take Coquilles St Jacques. Lexa asked the waitress about the wine, she helped her choose the right kind of wine to go with their meal then went away after she took their order. Surprisingly enough the waitress came back only a few minutes after she went away, even though it seemed that it was a very busy night, the service was pretty quick.

"Oh my God!" nearly moaned Lexa after she took a bite of a foie gras toast.

"I told you it was good!" winked Clarke before eating herself.

"It is the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Clarke took a sip of her white wine, the waitress had gave them a good wine recommendation.

"So you said you went to France for a while, was it before Aden was born?" asked Lexa.

"It was, I was in my second year in art school and the opportunity presented itself so I took it. Have you traveled anywhere?"

"I did. My ex is a journalist so I went with her on some of her trips...and I'm a total idiot talking about an ex on our date. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay you're not talking about her, you just told me why you traveled." Clarke tried to reassure Lexa. "So where did you go?"

"I went to Mexico, Canada and England."

"Nice! We went on a little weekend in Canada with Aden and my parents a few months ago to ski, it was awesome."

The teacher nodded.

"Actually speaking of Aden I wanted to talk to you about something." she was nervous and aware that it could be heard in her voice.

Lexa frowned, probably a bit anxious herself but Clarke wanted to be clear with her from the beginning.

"I postponed our date to this week because Aden was with me last week. I don't mean that I didn't want to go on a date with you, I very much did and I could have had someone babysit Aden. What I want to say is that Aden will always come first. I just wanted to be honest about that before anything could happen between us."

Clarke was looking at Lexa, hoping that she didn't hurt her feelings by telling her that but she did what she thought was best for both of them. She tried to read the face of the other woman as she drank a bit of her wine but Lexa was impassive. Clarke took a deep breath when Lexa finally put her glass down and opened her mouth to speak.

But that was the moment the waitress decided to come back to clear their table and bringing them their main course. Clarke thought she couldn't have been slower and when the waitress left she turned nervously to Lexa.

*

"Clarke, I would never ask of you to put me before your son."

Lexa saw Clarke let a relieved breath out at her answer, she seemed glad that the teacher was understanding.

"In fact I wanted to talk to you about that too because I didn't know where we stood about the date and everything. I didn't know what you would be comfortable with. I mean if whatever is in between us would continue." she admitted.

"I would not want Aden to know, not at first."

"I understand."

Lexa did understand the fact that Clarke wanted to protect her son. He was already dealing with his parents being separated and bringing someone new into his life could disturb Aden.

Both were eating and talking, setting boundaries on their as of yet non-existent relationship, but Lexa had a feeling that having this conversation right now could actually mean that Clarke was serious about her and it made Lexa's heart swell. After that they switched the conversation to a much lighter subject.

Lexa talked to Clarke about her childhood in Polis and when she mentioned her playing soccer they drifted to the same subject Lexa approached with Aden a few weeks ago, Polis versus Arkadia.

"I can not believe that you support Polis!" cried Clarke in disbelief with the same expression on her face that Aden had when they spoke about it.

Lexa smiled at the thought.

"Your son was very much like you when I told him that."

"He was right! We support the two best teams of the championship but also the two big rivals, I'm not sure we should continue this after all..." announced the blonde gesturing herself and Lexa.

Lexa read Clarke's expression to see if the woman was actually serious about this but noticed the mischievous smile she was trying to hide by taking a bite of the dish in front of her.

"Well at least I'm not supporting Azgeda!" Lexa defended herself.

"Oh my God you're absolutely true!" responded Clarke with wide eyes. "Did you see how many players of the championship they injured?! Azgeda players are awful!"

"Well they're certainly aggressive." commented Lexa totally agreeing with her date. "They took out our best scorer for two months at the beginning of the season."

"That sucks." stated Clarke as Lexa nodded.

"God I'm so full!" said Clarke after she finished her coquilles St Jacques.

She sat back on her seat, a hand on her stomach. Lexa smiled at her, she was glad she took Clarke to this restaurant, the food had been so good.

"It was delicious. Do you want a dessert?"

Clarke raised an eyebrow at her question.

"Miss Woods it's only our first date!" she exclaimed dramatically with a fake tone of indignation before laughing with Lexa.

They decided not to take a dessert, both of them had eat enough. Lexa payed for dinner while Clarke made a little detour to the toilets. While Lexa waited for Clarke to come back she took her phone in her pocket, she had 4 un-read texts, three from the Blake siblings and one from Anya.

**Anya :**  
**"Don't mess this up, I'm counting on you! Do it for Clark(e)!"**

_"A joke about Clarke and Clark, very funny Anya..."_ thought Lexa shaking her head.

**Bellamy :**  
**"Go get her tiger!"**

**Octavia :**  
**"Linc and I wish you good luck!"**  
**"I hope you'll like the restaurant :)"**

She didn't have the time to answer because Clarke was back. They left and were met by the first snowflakes of the season. The weather had been really cold these past few weeks but no snow had fell yet.

"God, it's freezing!" Clarke whined.

"Let's get back to the car." Lexa said, giving her arm to Clarke as she did a few hours ago.

She was going to suggest a little walk in the park but after seeing Clarke shiver by her side she decided not to. As they walked back to Lexa's car, Lexa noticed that Clarke was standing way closer to her than she did before. Her body was flushed against Lexa's as they walked, it put a bright smile on Lexa's face. She was happy. The dinner had been great and even if their date had had a few downs, Lexa was glad they talked. You can't build something on secrets and doubts.

"So did you have a better date at L'Arche this time?" asked Lexa pretty sure of the answer the blonde was going to give her.

"I did." Clarke smiled at the brunette, squeezing her arm slightly with her hand.

"I'm glad."

"I wasn't going to let a silly memory ruin a date with the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

Lexa looked at Clarke, a big blush on her cheeks from the compliment the blonde had made to her.

_"Oh my God, I have literally no game..."_ Lexa thought _"A gorgeous woman tells you that and you're just speechless!"_

They exchanged a shy smile and continued walking toward Lexa's car in a comfortable silence.

"I felt so unprofessional asking you out because you're the parent of one of my pupils, but I'm glad I did." admitted Lexa when they were in the car.

"You mean when I asked you out!" argued Clarke. "It's not my fault you didn't pick up that it was a date!" she continued with a flirty tone.

"Well you said earlier that we were on our first date tonight, Clarke." pointed Lexa out remembering the conversation they had about dessert.

"Touché. But I did asked you out first." The blonde stated, crossing her arms and looking at Lexa like she was daring her to contradict her.

"If you say so..." Lexa replied with a little smile and a shrug.

The ride back to Clarke's apartment felt so short to Lexa, she didn't want the night to end. She tried to drive slower to spend more time with the blonde and the other woman didn't seem to notice. But every good thing as an end and soon Lexa's car was parked outside Clarke's building.

"I had a wonderful night." Clarke thanked Lexa, removing her seat belt but not making any move to get out of the car.

"Me too." assured Lexa.

There they were again staring into each other eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. Lexa's heartbeat was so fast that she was thankful for the radio to be playing or Clarke may had heard it. She licked her lips without realizing looking at Clarke's then back to her eyes.

_"Just do it Lexa."_ she told herself before unbuckling her own seat belt and moving slowly to put her hand left hand on the blonde's neck.

She heard Clarke let out a little breath in anticipation, parting her lips and leaning into Lexa as the teacher closed her eyes. Their lips met softly and moved against each other for a few seconds before Lexa pulled away to breathe. Clarke was literally and figuratively taking her breath away.

"Okay" murmured Clarke who appeared to be as shaken as Lexa by the kiss. "I'll see you soon I hope."

"I hope so too." nodded Lexa in a breath, still so close to the blonde's face and wanting nothing more than to kiss her again.

Clarke smiled before putting a small and chaste kiss on Lexa's lips and opening the car's door to get out.

"Goodnight Lexa. Get home safe." she said before closing the door and walking quickly to the building's door.

Clarke glanced a last time at Lexa who was smiling like an idiot and waved at her before entering the building. Lexa went back home and Clark was jumping up and down as soon as she entered her apartment. She hugged him tightly before pulling her phone out to text Clarke.

**Lexa :**  
**"Back home. I can't wait to see you again."**

It was a bit cheesy but Lexa didn't lie, she was impatient to be with Clarke again. A few seconds later her phone buzzed twice, Clarke telling her she was glad that she made it back and that she was eager to see her too. Lexa went to bed with a big happy smile on her face that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> The rating may change in the next chapters from T to M so i hope it will be ok with you.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so new rating beginning this chapter.  
> Also thank you to everyone who read the fic and for your comments and kudos it's super nice! =)

Lexa arrived in the staff room. She said good morning to Cage Wallace, Dante's son, who was also a teacher at Mount Weather, and made herself a coffee before sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. She was not going to sit with Cage, the man wasn't liked by many of the people who worked here. He was a self-righteous man and Lexa didn't like his attitude.

Lincoln and Bellamy had told her stories about Cage that happened before she came to teach at the school and she learned that the teacher she was replacing had been fired. The guys said that Cage had been bothering this teacher for a while about something, they didn't know what, but it must have been really annoying for him because he physically attacked Cage. The incident took place in front of the children and of course the teacher had been blamed and nothing happened to Cage. That was why Lexa had no trust in Cage, she was wary of him and tried to stay away from him as often as possible.

A few minutes after Lexa sat down at the table, Bellamy and Lincoln entered the room.

"Good morning Cage. Hey Lex!" greeted Lincoln, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"So how was the date Woods?" asked eagerly Bellamy as he sat in front of her, completely ignoring Cage.

"It went very well." she said simply.

"Was the restaurant okay? Did your date like it?" inquired Lincoln, joining his friends and colleagues at the table.

"It went very well?! That's all we get?" whined Bellamy at the same time.

She knew her friends would want some more information about the date and once again she was glad Clarke and her talked about boundaries on their date. Lexa saw Lincoln give Bellamy a small nudge in the ribs.

"She liked the restaurant yes, and I did too. Thank you Lincoln."

The question reminded her that she would have to answer Octavia's texts about it because she didn't do it the night before when she came back home, thinking that it may have been a bit late for her to send a text to Octavia, not knowing when the girl's shift began. She had texted Anya last night though, knowing that her best friend would not let her sleep if she hadn't.

"No problem." nodded Lincoln before taking a sip of his coffee.

"And what do you want me to tell you Blake? We had dinner, I took her home, I kissed her and that's it." she said shrugging with a little smile.

Lexa felt her cheeks blush at the memory of the kiss she shared with Clarke, wanting nothing more than to taste her lips again. The guys seemed to have noticed this because Lincoln had a big smile on his face and Bellamy whistled, loudly enough for them to get a dirty look from Cage Wallace, the only other teacher in the room.

"Nice!" exclaimed Bellamy raising his hand to high five her.

She shook her head before giving the man a high five.

"So when are you seeing her again?" asked Lincoln.

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it yet."

Though if she could have Lexa would have seen Clarke again today.

"Fair enough."

Lexa took out her phone to text Octavia as the conversation between the guys didn't really interest her.

**Lexa :**  
**"Thank you for the restaurant, me and my date we had a great time. It was awesome =)"**

**Octavia :**  
**"I'm glad ;) I knew you would like the place."**  
**"So how did it go?"**  
**"I'm sorry I'm sure the guys already asked you about it."**

**Lexa :**  
**"It's okay ;)"**  
**"It went very well, she's a very interesting woman."**

**Octavia :**  
**"And...???"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Istg your worst than your brother!"**  
**"We kissed and it was great."**

**Octavia :**  
**"YES!"**  
**"Come on you love us!"**

**Lexa :**  
**"..."**

**Octavia :**  
**";)"**  
**"Gotta get back, see ya later girl!"**

Lexa answered Octavia quickly before it was time for her and her colleagues to get back to work too. Before they exited the room though Cage stood in front of them with his smirk and told them that it was a work place for adults not for loud children. Lincoln held Bellamy back discretely as Cage left the room.

"I don't know who that dude thinks he is but..." Bellamy snarled.

"Don't let him get to you Bell." Lincoln said, trying to calm him down patting him on the shoulder.

The three teachers then returned to their work trying to get Cage out of their minds.

*

Lexa heard a buzz on the coffee table and she woke up abruptly. She had fallen asleep on the couch, Clark sleeping on the carpet next to it. Lexa rubbed her eyes before reaching for the phone.

**Clarke :**  
**"Thank you for these, they were delicious."**

Attached to the text was the picture of the chocolate box she gave Clarke yesterday, now empty.

**Lexa :**  
**"I'm glad you liked them =)"**

**Clarke :**  
**"They brought me great comfort in a time of need."**  
  
**Lexa :**  
**"Are you okay Clarke???"**

She asked a bit worried at the blonde text.

**Clarke :**  
**"Oh yeah don't worry. I was just watching a super sad film."**

**Lexa :**  
**"Oh ok. I was worried for a sec."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Glad to see you worry about me though ;)"**

Lexa rolled her eyes at the phone as if it was Clarke herself.

**Lexa :**  
**"Yeah..."**  
**"I'm gonna head to bed Clarke, I'm completely exhausted. I'll talk to you soon."**  
**"Good night."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Good night Lexa =)"**

The teacher went to bed right after that because she really was tired. She had been stressed out about her date with Clarke and didn't get a lot of sleep the weekend before it.

*

The next afternoon Lexa was talking about Lincoln and Bellamy about their Christmas project with the children, she wasn't really into arts and crafts, and was struggling a bit with what to do. Lincoln had decided to do some Christmas cakes with his class and Bellamy was working on a little book about Christmas traditions all around the world.

Lexa left the school with serious doubts, she had to think about something before next week. She took her dog for a walk at the park and decided to text Clarke, after all she was an artist and obviously a creative person, so why not ask her for advice?

**Lexa :**  
**"Hey Clarke! I was wondering if you could help me with something?"**

The blonde didn't answer before Clark and herself were back home.

**Clarke :**  
**"Of course. What is it?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"It's about the school Christmas project, every teacher has to find something to do with its class and I'm really not good at artsy stuff."**

**Clarke :**  
**"You want me to help you find an idea for it?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Yes. I mean if you're not busy."**  
**"Nevermind I'm sorry, I don't want to bother you."**

**Clarke :**  
**"No Lexa it's okay! I'm happy you thought of me for help ;)"**

**Lexa :**  
**"You're the best artist I know."**

**Clarke :**  
**"I'm the only artist you know."**

**Lexa :**  
**"Touché."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Alright so I just came back from the gallery. Would you like to come have dinner with me at my place and we can talk more about that project?"**

Lexa read the text again to assure herself that Clarke really did ask her to come to her place. Yes she did and Lexa had nothing to do this evening. Lexa felt her heartbeat rise up, she was going to see Clarke again tonight.

**Lexa :**  
**"It would be my pleasure."**  
**"When do you want me to come?"**  
**"To your place."**

She send the last text quickly, thinking that it could be misinterpreted as a sexual innuendo.

**Clarke :**  
**"Hahaha"**  
**"Does 7 works for you?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Yes."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Alright. See you in a bit then ;)"**

Seven. It was six, Lexa had less than an hour to get ready. She decided to take a quick shower before heading to Clarke's apartment.

*

Clarke had been happy about the fact that Lexa decided to send her a text, she was waiting for an occasion to see Lexa again. Clarke had spontaneously decided to ask Lexa to come at her place, she wanted to see her and it would be a more intimate setting than going out.

Clarke looked around her: Aden's stuff was everywhere in the living room, she panicked a bit and quickly began to clean up the room, putting his toys in his bedroom. When the blonde was satisfied with how clean the apartment was she went into the kitchen, it was 6:30pm. She had half an hour before Lexa's arrival. Clarke began to prepare dinner, she had opted for spaghetti and Bologna sauce. It didn't really show off her cooking skills but it was an easy and quick dish to prepare.

When she was done with the cooking she went to change in her room and put on a blue and white plaid shirt instead of the stained t-shirt she had been wearing all day. Clarke heard the doorbell ring and she ran to open it.

"Hey! Please enter!" she greeted Lexa as she gestured for her the apartment behind her.

"Thank you for inviting me Clarke." Lexa thanked her, removing her scarf and long black coat.

The blonde smiled at her before taking her coat and scarf and putting them on the coat rail next to the door.

"I'm glad you came." she said sincerely, looking into Lexa's green eyes.

"Me too."

"Don't pay attention to the mess."

A few of Aden's things were still here and there because Clarke didn't have time to remove everything.

"Don't worry Clarke, it's not messy at all." Lexa assured her, with a smile.

"Okay, well dinner's ready if you're hungry." Clarke said walking to the kitchen, Lexa nodded and followed her.

"Would you like a beer or something? I have water or coke otherwise." asked Clarke.

She thought that she should have gone to the supermarket, she didn't have a lot of other choices for Lexa.

"A water will be fine, thanks. Do you need any help?"

"No it's okay, you can sit." reassured Clarke with a small smile.

She saw Lexa sit on one of the stool around the counter and she started putting the pasta and sauce on the plates before giving the teacher a glass of water.

"So talk to me about that Christmas project of yours."

"More like my non existent project." joked Lexa. "I was thinking about making some Christmas decorations or something."

Clarke giggled as she put the plates on the tables and in the corner next to Lexa. The teacher was definitely so not interested in her project and it showed.

"Are you mocking me Clarke?" asked Lexa.

"I'm not." she shook her head. "You just seem so unsure about your project, you're cute."

She made the teacher blush, Clarke laughed internally, she was just so easy to tease and she couldn't help herself. They started eating and Clarke continued :

"Christmas decorations is a good idea, plus the kids will be happy to put them on the tree or in their home every year."

"That's what I what thinking." nodded Lexa.

"So what kind of decorations would you like to make?"

"Tinsels or baubles I guess?"

"Oh or Christmas stockings!" Clarke said loudly.

She was getting a bit carried away but having the hot brunette in her apartment, Clarke was feeling like an hormonal teenager, she needed to calm down. Clarke was happy that Lexa found the idea pretty interested and they spoke about the project until they finished eating. Lexa had decided to go along with making baubles with the kids. The stockings would have involved sewing pieces of fabric together and Lexa explained to Clarke that she didn't want the kids to hurt themselves. Clarke didn't think about that when she had suggested it.

"It was delicious, Clarke." complimented Lexa. She had finished her plate right after Clarke.

"Thank you." she said, standing up to put the empty plates in the sink.

Clarke was thinking about what to do, she didn't want Lexa to go now, so she asked nervously :

"Would you like to watch a film or something?"

"Yeah. As long as it's not a sad one, I didn't bring any chocolate with me today." said Lexa making a sorry face.

"It's okay, I have you for comfort today." flirted Clarke.

The two of them walked to the living room and sat on the couch, a few centimeters away from each other so they weren't touching even if Clarke definitely wanted to be closer to Lexa.

"What do you want to watch?"

"Whatever you want to." shrugged Lexa.

"Damn, thank you for your decision making!" laughed Clarke, looking at her pile of blu-rays.

"Oh you have Mad Max!" said Lexa reaching for it.

"I love it."

"Me too."

"Let's watch it then." said Clarke taking the disc and putting it in her PlayStation 4 before coming back to the couch, sitting right next to Lexa this time.

They watched the film, Lexa was silent most of the time while Clarke commented on everything. She hoped that Lexa was not bothered by her talking all along the film, it was just the way she was. She loved that film, it was definitely one of her favorite, plus the colors were so beautiful and Clarke was always amazed by it every time she watched it. Near the end of the movie Clarke felt herself on the verge of tears during a pretty emotional scene and she heard Lexa turn to her.

"Are you okay Clarke?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah it's just, this scene, you know."

Lexa nodded and moved shyly to put her arm around Clarke who moved into the embrace. Clarke was now flushed against Lexa's side and she could swear that her heart was going to jump out of her chest sooner or later. Her head was placed upon Lexa's chest and could feel her breathe rapidly. They finished watching the movie in this position, none of them moving.

As the credits were rolling Clarke sat up straight with the intent to go remove the disc and felt Lexa remove her arm from behind her. But Clarke didn't move, she was looking directly into Lexa eyes, she was so close to her. Her eyes fell on the brunette's lips, they were so soft and gentle, Clarke knew it and she craved to feel them on hers again. She looked into Lexa's eyes again, the brunette looked like she was waiting for her to make the first move this time so she did.

Clarke closed her eyes and kissed Lexa. Just as she remembered her lips were so soft, and Clarke felt like she could be happy spending her life kissing them. Clarke wanted more of this time so she gently bit Lexa's bottom lip. She felt shivers through her body when the teacher let a little moan slip through her lips, God Clarke wanted to hear that sound again. She felt Lexa put a hand in her hair as the kiss deepened and she suddenly pulled on Lexa's shirt, urging the other woman on top of herself.

The kiss stopped for a moment as Clarke tried to catch her breath and Lexa took it as an invitation to start kissing Clarke's neck. Lexa was sucking on her pulse point but Clarke could not bring herself to care if the next day there would be visible marks of this make out session on her neck. The blonde put her hand in brown locks, encouraging Lexa to continue for a while before she reclaimed Clarke's lips again.

When she moved back up to Clarke's mouth, Lexa lowered her body even more between Clarke's legs and the blonde gasped slightly when Lexa's hips touched her. She didn't know if Lexa had done it consciously or not but Clarke couldn't deny the fact that she was pretty aroused by the position they were in.

Clarke kept kissing Lexa eagerly, she brought her hands on the small of Lexa's back trying to push her back between her legs and closer to herself as she was craving more contact and Lexa didn't seem to notice as both were lost into the kiss. Clarke slided her hands on Lexa's front and soon they were roaming over the buttons of Lexa's shirt and started to unbutton the first one. Before Clarke could continue to strip Lexa out of her shirt, she felt the kiss slow down and Lexa bopped her nose gently before giving her a little peck on the lips.

"I think we should stop here for now." whispered Lexa in a breath.

Clarke's breathing was nowhere near normal but she managed to say :

"I''m sorry, I got carried away."

It was the truth, it was not her intention to go so far, not yet, and she hoped that she hadn't made the woman uncomfortable.

"It's okay" said Lexa, going back to where she was seated when they were watching the movie.

"I didn't want to pressure you or anything." blurted Clarke.

"Clarke"

Lexa put her hands on each side of Clarke's face when she was done buttoning up her shirt.

"It's okay, I liked it." she reassured giving her small kiss on the lips.

Lexa's words put Clarke's mind at ease. She really liked her and she wouldn't have wanted to ruin what was between them by being too eager.

"I should probably go." said Lexa.

Clarke nodded, it was pretty late anyway. They stood up together and Clarke walked Lexa to the door.

"Will I see you again this week?" asked Lexa.

"Yes. Well, if you want to." replied Clarke, shyly.

"Of course!"

When Lexa had put her coat and scarf back on she gave Clarke a soft goodbye kiss before leaving. Clarke closed the door after her and put her back against the door, a big smile on her face. She was happy that things were going great between her and Lexa, she didn't have Aden with her this week so she wanted to make the most of it and see Lexa again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for the comments and kudos and for the people wondering about Cage : trouble, trouble, trouble...   
> Enjoy! ;)

"So how are things with hot teacher?" asked Raven with a smirk.

"I told you her name is Lexa." Clarke sighed taking another slice of pizza from the box in front of her, it was Friday night and the girls were having dinner at Raven's place.

"That's what i said." shrugged Raven.

"Things are great. I invited her at my place Wednesday." Clarke said, ignoring Raven's comment.

Raven's eyes widen when she heard the blonde answer and she got up from her sit.

"Damn Griffin, where's the champagne?! We gotta celebrate you hitting that!"

Clarke rolled her eyes at her best friend, of course inviting Lexa would mean that they had sex for Raven.

"I did not _hit that_ Raven, not yet at least." groaned the blonde.

"Why?! What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, i just think she wants to take it slow you know." Clarke shrugged.

If she was being honest Clarke wanted nothing more than to get it on with the teacher; the woman was gorgeous and quite frankly their make-out session had left her hot and bothered. However Clarke wasn't the type of person that would ever pressure anyone into sex, yes Lexa was hot but it wasn't the only thing that interested Clarke in her.

Clarke felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she took it out, it was a text from Lexa.

**Lexa :**  
**"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night at my place?"**

"Is it her?" Raven inquired with a smirk.

Clarke nodded quietly before typing an answer for Lexa.

**Clarke :**  
**"I can't, i have a business meeting tomorrow night."**  
**"Is it okay if i come by after dinner?"**

She couldn't cancel on that meeting but Clarke wanted to see Lexa anyway and was hoping the brunette would be okay with what she was offering.

**Lexa :**  
**"Of course. We'll watch a sad film or something ;)"**

**Clarke :**  
**"Smartass! Okay i'll see you tomorrow then. Text me your address."**

"Sooooo???"

"So i'm seeing her tomorrow night after my meeting!" Clarke replied to Raven’s teasing with an annoyed tone.

"Spending the night at your girlfriend's place, Griffin!" Raven stood up and put her thumbs up, congratulating her friend.

  
*

Clarke's meeting was finally over, she spent all day with her team at the gallery discussing some details about the new exhibit. She had wished that it went quicker but they only left at 10:30pm and she had sent Lexa a text apologizing and asking if it wasn't too late for her to come by. Lexa had texted her back saying she was waiting for her whenever she was coming.

A few minutes later, Clarke was knocking on the door of Lexa's apartment and heard yapping coming from behind it. She heard Lexa's voice but didn't hear what she said before the barking stopped and Lexa opened the door.

"Hi!"

"Clarke, please enter." invited Lexa.

She closed the door behind Clarke taking her coat as the blonde removed it and putting it next to hers on the coat rack before turning to her. Lexa gave a quick peck on Clarke's lips as a greeting.

"I'm sorry i just got out of the shower" confessed Lexa as a few droplets of water fell from her still wet hair.

"I can see that. I'm feeling a bit overdressed actually" she joked as she looked at Lexa who was wearing sweat pants and a grey henley.

She didn't have time to change after her meeting so she was still wearing her white blouse and black skirt. It wasn't the most suitable attire for a movie night.

"I can get you something more comfortable if you want." Lexa proposed, leading her into the apartment. "I mean, i'm not implying that you're going to stay the night or anything. I just want you to be comfortable and everything. I'm not saying i don't want you to stay either, i just..."

"Lexa stop! Breathe! It's okay, and i wouldn't mind a change of clothes, thank you for asking." Clarke nodded cutting Lexa's babbling.

Clarke found the teacher cuter every time they saw each other, she was a nervous mess around her and it made her heart melt. She silently hoped that Lexa would ask her to stay the night.

"Okay. I'm gonna be right back then." announced Lexa, going to the door in the corner of the room.

Clarke took the time the look at the place while Lexa was gone. The apartment was smaller than Clarke's but Lexa was living alone so she didn't need to have a lot of space. The room had two big and full bookcases framing the tv. A small couch was in front of it as well as a big furry rug that seemed incredibly soft, divinely so. The kitchen opened onto the living room and they formed an open-plan area.

Suddenly Clarke felt something big hitting her legs and she took a step back to regain her balance before seeing the chocolate labrador that Lexa had mentioned during their date.

"You must be Reese!" laughed Clarke, bending down to pet the dog.

"Yes." confirmed Lexa who reappeared from her room with clothes in her arms.

Clarke stood back up and took the t-shirt and sweat pants that Lexa was handing to her.

"Here you go, i hope this will be okay."

"This is perfect. Where can i change?"

"Right. Hm, the door on the left is the bathroom." gestured Lexa behind her. "You can leave your clothes there. I was going to make some tea, would you want some or something else maybe?"

"A tea is good thanks."

After she had changed, Clarke came back to Lexa, who was in the kitchen pouring water into cups.

"So how was your meeting Clarke?" inquired Lexa.

"It was fine, preparations for the exhibition...I was with them all day, it was exhausting. What about you, what did you do today?" asked Clarke following Lexa to the living room, she was happy to see Lexa after such a long day, she just wanted to chill out and have a quiet night with her.

"Not much, i just spent the evening with some friends just before you came by." Lexa shrugged "I'm pretty boring."

Clarke let out a small laugh and sat on the couch as the dog was laying in front of the tv.

"He's very well trained." she observed.

"Yeah, i had him when he was just a puppy and he's really calm in general. I have some pics of him when he was a baby!" said an excited Lexa taking her phone from the coffee table.

Clarke smiled as Lexa showed her the pics, Reese was really a cute dog, there was some selfies of Lexa and her pet on there too. Clarke particularly liked the one with Lexa and the dog laying on the grass and Reese licking Lexa's face.

"Oh my God you're so cute!"

"Me or the dog?" Lexa teased, looking at Clarke.

"The dog of course." she answered in a serious tone.

"Oh yeah?" Lexa asked in a whisper, moving really close to Clarke's face but not touching her at all.

The blonde was speechless, one second Lexa was all cute and showing her puppy pics and the next she was looking at her with hungry eyes. Clarke didn't know what to do because the last time they were in this kind of situation Lexa ended it. She didn't want to pressure the brunette into anything so she didn't move at all. If Lexa wanted something from her she could take it but Clarke didn't want to make the first move.

She felt Lexa's hand on her neck and shivers ran through her body, she closed her eyes when Lexa's lips touched hers. The kiss was slow and gentle and it lasted a few seconds or maybe a minute, Clarke couldn't tell for sure, before Lexa moved back a little. Clarke was a little bit disappointed that they didn't go any further once again but she would wait until Lexa was ready.

"So hum...what do you wanna watch?" asked Lexa.

"You told me we would watch a sad film. You know, if you want to cuddle it doesn't have to be because we watch a sad movie." Clarke winked at Lexa who blushed a bit before replying :  
"Ok then."

They actually decided to just watch some tv, not really caring what was on the screen. They swapped channels until they found some reruns of Grey's Anatomy.

*

Clarke was snuggling up against Lexa. Their relationship was so new but it felt natural. Clarke had her head on Lexa's shoulder and their hands were touching. Halfway through the second episode the teacher was a bit surprised by Clarke's absence of commentaries. She was very quiet and Lexa turned her head slightly on the side to see that the blonde was in fact asleep. She had told her that she was tired so Lexa decided that it was better to let her sleep so she just continued to watch the episode in silence.

Lexa felt movement next to her and opened her eyes. Clarke was waking up and she realized that she had fallen asleep too. The blonde stirred on the couch and yawned loudly.

"God i'm so sorry Lexa."

"I fell asleep too." shrugged Lexa. "Do you want to stay for the night? You look so tired." she added quickly.

"I think that would be wiser." nodded Clarke, her eyes half closed. "I don't feel like driving right now."

"Are you okay with sharing a bed with me? The couch isn't very comfortable." Lexa said.

In fact the couch was comfortable enough for someone to be sleeping on it, Lexa often made good use of it to take naps but, guiltily enough, she wanted Clarke to sleep in her bed. Not necessarily to have sex with her but she wanted to be close to Clarke.

"Of course"

"Okay."

Lexa turned off the tv and lead Clarke to her bedroom. She was nervous, she knew that nothing would happen tonight because they were both tired but still.

"Do you have a side?" asked Clarke, standing next to the bed.

"I usually sleep on the right side. Do you want other clothes to sleep in?"

"No don't worry." Clarke shook her head and Lexa left the room to change after she took her pyjamas on her bed.

She changed quickly and brushed her teeth before going back to the bedroom. The sweat pants she gave Clarke was put on the chair next to the bed as well as her bra and she was already in bed sleeping. Lexa joined her in bed and faced the wall on her side whispering a small goodnight to Clarke before closing her eyes.

*

Lexa woke up, she was hot. She felt an arm around her, Clarke. Her body was firmly pressed against hers and she could feel her breathing loudly behind her, sounding like she was sleeping deeply. Lexa could see the sun through the blinds of the room's window but she didn't want to move and risk to wake up Clarke. Lexa tried to reach her phone slowly, it was only 8am. Usually she would've got out of bed and gone for a little run but she felt so comfortable in the blonde's arms that the run would have to wait.

Lexa closed her eyes and took Clarke's hand in hers as she tried to fall back asleep. But then Clarke moved a bit closer to her, if it was even possible, and she heard a whisper coming from behind :  
"Good morning."

"Good morning Clarke, it's still early, you can sleep more if you want." Lexa said as she turned to face the blonde.

Clarke removed her arm from around Lexa and Lexa was a bit sad at the loss of contact with her.

"I'm sorry i'm a cuddler." Clarke apologized with a little frown upon her face and Lexa wondered if it was because she just woke up or if there was something else.

"I don't mind." she tried to smooth things up and it seemed to work because Clarke smiled at her and put her arm back where it was.

"I was so rude last night, going to sleep without you being here and all, i was so tired." Clarke croaked.

God that voice that Clarke had, Lexa found it pretty sexy even more right now as she just woke up and it was even more husky.

"It's okay Clarke, you were exhausted." Lexa stated, pulling away a strand of hair that was falling on Clarke's face.

She paused a second, examinating the blonde's expression to see if that was okay, Clarke had a small smile on her face. Lexa leaned closer to Clarke and kissed her, as gently as usual. She felt Clarke's hand tighten on her back as she brought her closer. Clarke's tongue met hers in kiss that was getting hotter by the minute. The blonde slipped her hand under Lexa's t-shirt and Lexa shivered under her touch.

Lexa was used to running but right now her heartbeat was out of control, she stopped the kiss for a second trying to catch her breath. Clarke was looking at her with dark eyes and both her hands were at the bottom of her t-shirt waiting for Lexa to give her permission to remove it. She wanted it, she wanted to be with Clarke so she nodded.

"Are you sure?" she heard Clarke ask in a breath.

Three days ago, at Clarke's apartment, she had stopped things from going further with the blonde because she didn't know if she was ready to be with someone yet. Not physically speaking, Lexa had a few one night stands during the year but what was happening with Clarke was different, it was more than just a physical relationship. Of course Lexa found Clarke so very sexy but she had also been caring with her. For the first time since Costia, Lexa was opening herself again to the possibility of love.

Lexa looked into her eyes before kissing her as an answer. She felt her t-shirt being pulled off and the women's mouths got separated for a short time before the piece of clothing ended up on the floor. Clarke pushed Lexa on her back and put her thigh between Lexa's. Lexa managed to not let a little moan slip out of her mouth when the blonde's naked skin came in contact with her panties. She knew that Clarke could feel her excitement through the fabric but so could Lexa.

Clarke's hand on her left breast added to the friction between her legs was doing wonders to Lexa but she wanted to feel Clarke too so she slipped her hands under Clarke's shirt and palmed her breasts gently. Clarke moaned in her mouth and sat up a little bit, wasting no time, she quickly removed her t-shirt and bit her bottom lip while looking down at Lexa.

_"God she's so beautiful"_ thought Lexa.

She sat up and kissed Clarke's breasts for a while, earning a few moans from the blonde who had tangled her hands in Lexa's hair, encouraging her to continue. Lexa went back up, slowly kissing her collarbones, her neck and once again her lips. Clarke was beautiful and Lexa wanted to kiss every inch of her skin but the blonde seemed to have other plans, she pushed Lexa down and started to trail down her body.

"Please Clarke." Lexa managed to whisper when she felt Clarke's hands on the side of her underwear.

Clarke slowly slide Lexa's panties down her legs and threw them behind her. Lexa suddenly felt very exposed and the air made her feel even more aware of her arousal. She could have come right on the spot when she felt Clarke's breath on her and her hands on her thighs. Thankfully the blonde didn't wait long and before she knew it, Lexa felt pressure on her clit.

She gasped when Clarke's tongue finally made contact with her, lipping through her folds with fervor. After a few minutes, Lexa was panting, gasping for air, she knew she was close.

"Clarke!" she exclaimed loudly, pulling a bit on Clarke's hair.

A few seconds later she heard a familiar scratching sound coming from her bedroom's door. Lexa thought that the dog would quickly go away but he didn't and started scratching harder. Clarke had heard it too and she stopped her ministrations to Lexa's great dismay.

"What's that?" asked Clarke, her head was still between Lexa's legs, and Lexa had a hard time forming a coherent thought at the sight.

"Just the dog." Lexa said wanting the blonde to go back to what she was doing as quickly as possible.

Clarke nodded before going back to her stroking on Lexa's clit. Lexa gripped the bedsheets, her hands leaving Clarke's hair. The blonde began teasing her entrance with her middle finger and she didn't have time to go further before it sent her over the edge.

"Oh my God." Lexa whimpered, trying to catch her breath.

Clarke who was making her way back up smirked and said :

"My name is actually Clarke, but God is fine too."

Lexa rolled her eyes at the blonde who was now laying on top of her.

"Shut up." she said laughing before claiming Clarke's lips in a heated kiss, tasting herself on Clarke's tongue.

Lexa let her hand slide on Clarke's back, reaching her butt and slipping inside her panties pulling Clarke up higher on her thigh. She felt Clarke's arousal spreading on it and she was longing to touch her even more. Lexa put both her hands on the underwear and slowly slid them down Clarke's legs. With a little help from the blonde, they managed to get Clarke out of them and Clarke was now straddling Lexa.

Lexa once again turned her attention to Clarke's breasts, playing with her nipples. After a while she heard Clarke pleading :

"Lexa i need you."

Lexa was more than happy to oblige and her right hand left Clarke's breast before travelling down as she used her left arm to circle Clarke's waist and press their bodies together. She found her way to Clarke's clit and began drawing circles around it. Clarke was dripping and Lexa's fingers easily slipped inside of her, entering her slowly at first then Lexa picked the pace up when Clarke's hips began to move in time with Lexa's fingers.

"Lexa!" Clarke panted, her fingers gripping tightly onto Lexa's back and Lexa wondered for a second if she would bare any trace of it the next day.

Lexa felt Clarke clenched around her fingers once again and by the way Clarke was moaning her name she was close. Her sweaty forehead was pressed against Lexa's, her eyes were closed and her mouth opened, breathing heavily.

"Clarke look at me." Lexa asked softly.

Clarke was beautiful and Lexa wanted to see the look in her eyes when her orgasm would hit her. She opened them slowly and locked eyes with Lexa. A few seconds later she finally came loudly in Lexa's arms. The two of them collapsed on the bed, Lexa pulling Clarke into a tight embrace on top of her. Clarke's head was resting on Lexa's torso, both silent as they tried to catch their breath.

"Was that okay?" she heard Clarke ask after a moment, she traced small paterns on Lexa's arm as she spoke.

"More than okay." Lexa answered with a content smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so that was the first time i wrote something like that so i hope it was okay... (it was hard writing it! xD)


	10. Chapter 10

Lexa stirred, slowly waking up she felt a weight and warmth on her chest. A bit confused she opened her eyes, Clarke was still sleeping, half her body on top of hers. After they had sex they just fell back asleep in the arms of the other. Probably awakened by Lexa's movement under her body Clarke opened her eyes.

"Damn Lexa i'm sorry i must be crushing you" Clarke exclaimed sleepily rolling on the side, Lexa's arms not letting her go too far.

"I'm okay Clarke" Lexa assured giving her a small kiss on the lips before she turned to the other side to see what time it was.

Eleven am. Lexa hadn't let herself stay in bed so late in a long time but she had no regrets. Having Clarke by her side was a much better way of spending her Sunday morning than her usual morning run.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." she said to Clarke who nodded and let Lexa remove her arm from under her body; before leaving the covers and heading to the bathroom after taking clean clothes from her closet.

Lexa did not take long to take her shower and dressed herself because she needed to go outside with Clark.

"There's towels in the closet and you can take what you need in the shower. I also have a spare toothbrush for you that i put next to the sink. Do you need any clothes maybe?" Lexa asked when she exited the bathroom all clean and dressed.

Clarke was stretched out on her bed and she thought that the blonde was sleeping when she turned over with a smile. She brushed her messy hair with her hands and yawned silently before stretching out her arms, the covers had slipped from her top half nearly revealing her breasts. Lexa felt a little flustered suddenly.

_"God i'm lucky to have such a beautiful woman in my bed."_ she thought.

"I have spare clothes in my bag but thank you." said Clarke, bringing Lexa back from her daydream.

"Oh so you had everything prepared." Lexa teased, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe." Clarke replied in a sultry tone that made Lexa's knees weak "Come here"

Lexa couldn't resist the blonde and soon enough she was on top of her, heavily making out with Clarke. Things could have gone further if it was not for the scratching and whining of Clark on the other side of the bedroom door. Lexa and Clarke stopped the kiss slowly.

"I'm sorry i really have to take him outside." Lexa apologized before standing up. "I should be back before you're out of the shower, if not then make yourself at home."

"Alright." Clarke replied as Lexa left the room.

Lexa quickly put the collar on Clark's neck and went to the park for a small walk. She was glad the park was right in front of her building so they didn't have to walk very far when Clark needed to go outside. During their walk they met Mr Lemkin, he was everyday at the park with his dog like Lexa and the two of them often shared a few words when they crossed path. He was a nice old man with a small white and chestnut Cavalier King Charles Spaniel female called Queenie.

"Lexa!" he greeted.

"Mr Lemkin, nice to see you!" she replied, seeing him was always a pleasure.

"Likewise. How are you? I haven't seen you this week."

"Yeah we must've been at the park at different hours. I'm great."

Lexa asked him about his health and he told her he was doing fine. The first time they met was about a week after Lexa arrived in Arkadia and she was walking her dog at the park when she saw the man on the bench and visibly in pain. Of course she had immediately called an ambulance and thankfully Mr Lemkin was back to his usual self in no time. After that incident he had thanked Lexa and since then they talked together a lot.

After a while they parted ways, Lexa confessing to the man that she had a guest home and he smiled knowingly before Clark and Lexa left to get back to the apartment.

*

Right after Lexa left Clarke quickly hopped in the shower, relaxing under the hot water and thinking about the night and morning she had with Lexa. Clarke was happy of what happened between them but she couldn't deny the fact that she was also a bit scared. Finn had been the only big relationship she ever had in her life and her only point of reference, she hadn't dated anyone in two years and now that she had Lexa she was hoping that she would not mess things up with her.

_"And what about Finn?"_ Clarke thought. What would he think of her dating Aden's teacher? Neither of them had dated anyone seriously enough for Aden to meet, or none that Clarke knew of anyway, the two of them didn't really talk about anything else than their son.

Without paying attention Clarke didn't turn the right button and a second later she was attacked by cold water.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled in the shower before turning the hot water back on.

_"Well that definitely put Finn away from my thoughts"._ She decided not to worry about Finn for now, she was going to wait and see where things would go with Lexa. If she wanted this to work she would have to focus on her happiness and not Finn's.

She turned the water off, drying herself quickly and put her clean clothes on before brushing her teeth with the toothbrush Lexa left for her. Clarke entered the bedroom again and put her dirty clothes in a plastic bag that she put in her bag before going to the living room.

Lexa wasn't back yet so she started to make coffee, she easily found what she needed in the kitchen and as she waited for the coffee to be made she wandered in the living room. She spotted a few photos hung on the wall.

She felt a bit like she was intruding into Lexa's life but she moved closer to it and took a look at each picture. There were a few of Lexa as a child with her probably her parents, Clarke smiled at the sight of a young Lexa and her curly mane. Some of the pictures of Lexa and Reese that the brunette showed her the night before were there too. Other pictures caught Clarke's attention, Lexa and two other girls at their graduation and three pictures of Lexa, her parents, other people and the same two girls. Clarke wondered if one of them was Lexa's ex-girlfriend or if they were just friends or maybe family. The last pictures were the two same girls, Lexa and a few other people who seemed their age, probably friends and a few of Lexa in her soccer uniform.

She looked away from the pictures and next to it were a bunch of drawings, all signed by children. They were apparently drawings that her pupils had made for her, Clarke found it very touching that Lexa hung them with her personal pictures on the wall, it surely was a great deal for Lexa. She looked at a drawing of Lexa in her classroom, seated at her desk, Aden made it for her. It was pretty good and Clarke felt proud of her son.

Clarke heard the door open and a few seconds later Reese was at her feet, moving his tail happily. Lexa appeared in the room just after and smiled at her.

"He likes you."

"I like him too." Clarke said, petting the dog. "I made coffee."

"Thanks. I'll make us some breakfast."

Clarke nodded, she wanted to ask about the pictures and know more about Lexa but she didn't know if it was okay so she followed Lexa in the kitchen.

"Did you find your way around?"

"Yeah thanks."

"Great. So what would you like? I can make pancakes, i have cereals, fruits, eggs and bacon." asked Lexa opening her cupboard to find two cups for the coffee.

"Bacon and eggs sounds great."

"Okay."

Lexa busied herself in the kitchen while Clarke served the coffee and set the table, then turned to Lexa to ask her if she needed any help.

"I'm fine." Lexa assured.

"So hm...you keep all the drawings your pupils make for you? I'm sorry i couldn't help it i was just looking around..."

"It's okay Clarke" Lexa cut smiling "yes i keep all of them, they make me happy." she shrugged "Everytime i get one i put it on the wall with the others, it's always so nice to receive a drawing from a child, it kinda feels like you mean something to them you know even if one day they'll grow up and maybe forget about me, i won't."

Clarke heard the emotion in Lexa's voice, the teacher really cared for the children that were in her class. Lexa cleared her throat and continued :  
"So if you saw the drawings i'm sure you also saw the pictures next to them. I just gotta say my hair look so much better now!"

"Yeah it was pretty untamed when you were a child." Clarke laughed with the brunette.

"Lexa untamed! Definitely the name of my biopic." joked Lexa.

Breakfast was ready quickly and both women sat down at the table to eat, Reese laying quietly at Lexa's feet.

"Do you have any siblings?" Clarke asked.

"No, i'm an only child. Do you?"

Clarke shake her head no because she had her mouth full of bacon.

"My best friend, Anya, is like a sister to me though, we grew up together."

"Is she on the pictures? I saw you with two girls on your graduation pic..." Clake asked, unsure.

"Yeah she's one of them." Lexa nodded, she hesitated before continuing "the other girl is Costia, my ex-girlfriend."

So Clarke was right, one of them was actually her ex. She didn't feel jealous at all, she was just curious.

"You grew up together the three of you?"

"We did. Our parents are friends." Lexa answered, she looked a bit sad so Clarke decided to change the subject and not ask further questions.

She didn't want to make Lexa uncomfortable.

"I see...So what are we gonna do today?"

"I don't know, do you want to go out?"

"I actually have some Christmas shopping to do if you're up for it." Clarke proposed, Christmas was two weeks away and she still had some gifts to buy.

"Sure." Lexa nodded with a smile.

*

Lexa and Clarke made it to the mall, it was crowded, of course at this time of the year everybody was looking for gifts. Lexa had already bought everything she needed for her family and friends, she prefered to buy gifts about a month before Christmas so there was no last minute shopping to do.

But now that she was shopping with Clarke she wondered if she should maybe buy something for Clarke or even Aden. Aden wouldn't have to know that the gift is from her. Lexa would have to come back another day to buy something for them.

They stopped by a videogames shop when they arrived at the mall and after looking at some games Lexa and Clarke found themselves playing with the new soccer game on the shop's PlayStation. Of course they chose their favorite teams, Arkadia and Polis and the game ended with some screams from Clarke who lost the game. They earned a few dark looks from people who were there to shop and who seemed bothered by Clarke's desperate whines of defeat but none of them actually cared.

"You cheated!" Clarke accused Lexa with a false angry look on her face.

"Or you could just admit you lost."

Clarke said nothing and pouted, it just made Lexa smile, the blonde was so cute but also a sore loser. Lexa teased Clarke about that a bit before they went back to their shopping after Lexa had kissed her pout away chastly.

They were a few hours into their Christmas shopping, Clarke had bought a lot of things and Lexa was helping her to hold the bags. Right now Clarke was a few feet away in the next section, talking to a salesman about some drone. Lexa didn't really know anything about it but it was meant to be a gift for Raven, Clarke's best friend, she remembered the woman from the day Lexa went to visit Clarke at her gallery.

Lexa was looking at a few books while she was waiting for Clarke. She was putting a book down when she heard someone call her name. Lexa turned to see Octavia walking toward her, Lincoln was right behind her, his hands filled with bags.

_"Shit!"_ Lexa thought. Lincoln would recognize Clarke for sure if she came back before they left.

"Hey guys!" she greeted them trying not to sound nervous.

"You're alone Lex?" inquired Octavia.

"Yeah, just doing some Christmas shopping you know." Lexa shrugged, showing to her the bags she had in her hands.

"You should come with us, we were heading for the coffee shop." Octavia proposed.

"Huh..." Lexa hesitated.

She couldn't just leave Clarke in the shop without a word so she choose to tell them that her Christmas shopping wasn't done and that she was buying stuff for them.

_"That's not really a lie"_

Her friends nodded and Lexa was so relieved when they told her that they were going to leave her to it. Things with Clarke were very new and the fact that she was Aden's mother would maybe make it weird with Lincoln being a teacher too.

"Lexa i'm done!"

_"Oh no!"_

Clarke came back from the section she was in and stopped right in her tracks when she saw that Lexa had company.

"Lexa why didn't you tell us you were with your girlfriend?!" exclaimed Octavia handing her hand to Clarke. "I'm Octavia, nice to meet you."

Lexa didn't respond to Octavia, she was looking at Lincoln whose eyes nearly fell out of his head when Clarke appeared. She was scrutinizing him to try to read anything on his face but except surprise she couldn't tell what her friend was thinking.

"Clarke." Clarke answered, shaking Octavia's hand.

"Okay? What's going on guys?" Octavia asked, suspicious, when no one said a word.

"Hum..." Lexa started.

"Ms Griffin's son is in Lexa's class." Lincoln finally said. "Nice to see you Ms Griffin."

"You can call me Clarke." Clarke said trying to push away the awkwardness of the situation and advancing her hand to shake Lincoln's.

"Then you can call me Lincoln." he answered nicely.

Lexa glanced at Octavia who was weirdly quiet, she must have been trying to put the pieces together.

"Lexa can i talk to you?"

She nodded and followed Lincoln a few meters away. It was bad, why would Lincoln talk to Lexa in private if it wasn't the case.

"Griffin? Clarke Griffin? Blonde. My brother asked you out! God that was embarrassing!" Lexa heard Octavia laughing as Lincoln and her walked away.

"Look Lincoln i'm sorry, i know it's unprofessional..."

"Hey Lex it's okay!" he reassured her. "I'm not judging you, i'm happy for you."

"Okay...but i thought..."

"Don't worry about that. I totally understand why you kept it from us. Just be careful at school okay? I wouldn't want anything bad to happen, you know how easily people get fired there."

Cage. Of course, Lincoln was right, she would have to be careful with that.

"Bell is not gonna believe it!" Lincoln exclaimed with a big smile.

"About that...can you please let me talk to him?" Lexa asked.

She didn't know how Bellamy felt toward Clarke, he had been attracted to her that was sure and it seemed like except being embarrassed he didn't want to try anything else with her but Lexa didn't want to hurt his feelings and she felt like she should be the one saying it to him.

"Sure."

"Thank you Lincoln."

"Let's go back before Octavia loses it and comes yelling at me for stealing you and at you for not introducing your girlfriend to us earlier."

They both laughed, walking back toward Clarke and Octavia who seemed to have hit it off.

"Hey there, everything's okay?" Octavia asked.

"All good." Lincoln assured, smiling at her wife.

Lexa gave Clarke a little nod assuring her that everything was fine when she saw her eyes asking the same question.

"So do you want to have coffee with us?" Octavia asked again.

"I'm sorry i have to go pick up my son soon." Clarke answered, clearly sorry.

"It's okay, another time then." Octavia smiled before saying goodbye to the girls and winked at Lexa before her and Lincoln left.

"Well that went better than i thought it would." Lexa said after she let a relieved breath out.

"What did Lincoln want to talk to you about?" Clarke inquired visibly a bit nervous herself.

"Nothing bad, he just wanted me to be careful at school. We aren't gonna go public anytime soon anyway."

Clarke nodded and moved closer to Lexa.

"So hum...Octavia called me your girlfriend. You didn't correct her." Clarke stated with a smirk.

Girlfriend, yes, Lexa really liked the sound of that but Clarke and Lexa had not discussed what they were yet. Maybe things were going too fast and Clarke wasn't there yet.

"So am i your girlfriend?" asked Clarke teasingly.

"Hum, i mean...If you want to...I guess...Maybe it's too early...Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Lexa fumbled for words, like always she was completely nervous and clumsy around Clarke.

Clarke smiled at Lexa's babbling and the brunette took it has a good sign. In fact a second later Clarke's lips were on hers, her hand on her cheek. The kiss was slow and tender, it didn't last long but Lexa hoped that it meant yes.

"Is that a yes?" she whispered, still close to Clarke's lips.

"Yes." Clarke affirmed with a big smile before talking Lexa by the arm and heading back to Lexa's apartment where Clarke's car was parked outside of the building.

In the subway Clarke talked to Lexa about Octavia and how she really liked the girl, she found her funny and nice, Lexa was happy that Clarke was getting a good impression of her friends. Seeing the two of them, Lexa was pretty sure Octavia was fond of Clarke too, maybe they could become good friends.

They stopped in front of Clarke's car when they finally arrived, the blonde opening the back door so both of them could put the shopping bags there. Then Clarke closed it and turned to Lexa.

"Bye girlfriend." said Clarke huskily and Lexa closed the gap between their lips.

Lexa knew that she wouldn't have the opportunity to kiss Clarke next week so she tried to enjoy that goodbye kiss as much as she could. Her arms circled Clarke's hips and pushed her close to her body. Lexa felt like she was on fire everytime she kissed the blonde and she completely forgot that they were outside when she pushed Clarke against her car. The noise made Lexa snap out of it and she quickly separated her mouth from Clarke's.

"I'm sorry, i got carried away." Lexa said to Clarke who was trying to catch her breath.

"That's okay. I'm gonna go now." Clarke replied. "Bye girlfriend!" she winked before stealing a last kiss from Lexa and getting into her car.

Lexa waved at her and watched her drive away before entering her building. She was in deep. This week had been so fast and so many things happened in that short amount of time. Maybe they were going too fast, or maybe they weren't. Next week without Clarke would be the occasion for Lexa to think about everything but she had to admit that she would definitely miss the blonde who was now her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys aren't disappointed that Clarke doesn't know the name of the dog yet...


	11. Chapter 11

With Christmas approaching and it being the last school week of the year, the children were quite excited during class, and so had a hard time concentrating on their work. Lexa had them make their own Christmas tree baubles, thinking that the activity would calm them down and it seemed to be working. They were all so focused on making the best bauble that on that Tuesday afternoon Lexa was finally catching a break.

Lexa was walking around the class and helping her pupils when they needed it. She stopped next to Aden who had his head in his hands looking pretty upset.

"Is everything okay here Aden?" Lexa asked.

"Ontari told me glitter was for girls." answered Aden with a frown.

So Aden and Ontari were once again having problems. She thought that their feud was over after last month and the detention they were in but she was wrong. Lexa felt bad for not having seeing that before or maybe it was just an isolated event. Still, she was supposed to see if something was going on between her pupils and take care of them.

"You know what, glitter is for everyone." she assured the young boy. "Look at Ryder, he used glitter."

Aden turned his head to the back of the class and Lexa saw him smile when he saw that Ryder's baubles was entirely covered in glitter.

"Thank you Ms Woods."

"Keep up the good work Aden, I'm sure your mom is gonna love it." Lexa encouraged before blushing a bit "or your dad, I mean...yeah continue Aden."

The teacher quickly walked away seeing Aden's confused face but when she turned back the boy was taking some glitter and put it on the bauble.

_"That was close!"_ Lexa thought.

She totally lost her cool at the mention of Clarke. Lexa didn't want to assume that Aden was giving the bauble to Clarke but she didn't think and made a mess of herself by trying to rectify what she said instead of letting it go, it was likely that Aden wouldn't even have noticed. Was there even anything to notice?

Lexa decided to go to Ontari and try to talk a bit with the girl, she wasn't going to reprimand her but she wanted to see if she could do something to make things better between her and Aden. Ontari was focused on her work and she seemed a bit startled when the teacher walked by her table.

"That's very nice Ontari." the teacher complimented.

"Thank you."

She couldn't tell the girl right away that Aden had told her what she said or "You're a snitch!" would probably be Ontari's next words to Aden otherwise, she knew how school was.

"So I was thinking about moving you from this place to another one closer to Penny, would you like that?" Lexa asked Ontari with a smile.

"Yes, but why?"

"You have pretty good grades so I thought getting closer to your friend would make you happy, plus I decided to move pretty much everyone, change is good sometimes."

"Okay." Ontari nodded before going back to her bauble.

"It's very good." Lexa said one last time to Ontari before leaving.

At least that was a good thing, Ontari moving on the other side of the class with one of her friend would likely satisfy her and get her away from Aden. The girl appeared a bit suspicious at first but Lexa hoped that having them away from each other would do them good.

Lexa went back to her desk, trying to move everybody around and not raise any suspicion that she was doing it because of Aden and Ontari. She managed to find a good placement as the children cleaned up the class before leaving. They had put their baubles away in the back of the classroom for them to dry during the night, so that they could take them home with them at the end of the week.

As she was putting her things in her bag, she caught sight of Bellamy walking in the hallway. She still hadn't had time to talk to him about Clarke.

"Blake!" Lexa called, hoping that the man would have heard her.

"Yeah?" he asked, his face appearing in the doorway.

"How are you?"

"Hum I'm still fine? We saw each other today already remember?" Bellamy said with an interrogative look as he walked to Lexa.

_"Come on Lexa stop being nervous all the time!"_ she told herself.

"Yeah of course, I'm sorry, the kids tired me today."

"Damn I know! Christmas season get them all excited."

"It does. So hum...I wanted to talk to you about something." she started.

"Ok, go on." Bellamy encouraged her.

"It's about Ms Griffin."

"What about her? Are you gonna mock me again Woods?"

"No no! Hum..."

"What is it? Do you have problems with Aden?"

"No i... I'm dating her." she just said and a small silence took place.

Lexa could feel her heart beat so hard in her chest, she was afraid of Bellamy's reaction and when it arrived it surprised her.

"How could you do that to me?! I thought we were friends!" Bellamy answered. "Now when you'll bring her with you at dinner and stuff everybody's going to laugh at me!" he continued, looking a bit embarrassed.

Lexa stared at him blankly, he wasn't mad at her.

"So you're okay with it? With me and Clarke?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I didn't know I had a say in your love life or Ms Griffin's."

"Well you asked her out I didn't know how you would take it."

"I'm actually happy that my friend has a girlfriend and Ms Griffin seems like a really good woman, I wish you the best."

"Thank you."

"Stop caring so much about other people's feelings okay? Do what makes you happy."

Lexa looked at Bellamy, these words, it resonated Lexa and her relationship with Costia, she had tried to do what made Costia happy but ultimately it didn't make her happy herself and they broke up.

"You're alright there Lexa?" asked Bellamy sounding a little worried.

"I'm fine" she tried to shrug off the bad feelings that she was having but Bellamy was having none of it, and a few seconds later Lexa felt strong arms around her.

She returned the embrace trying not to shed a tear at the painful memories of her last relationship. When Lexa felt better, she removed herself from Bellamy's arms, thanking him for the support with a little squeeze on his forearm.

"You want a ride home?" he asked his friend.

Lexa nodded, she came to school on foot this morning and she really didn't feel like walking back home tonight. She quickly gathered her things and followed the dark haired man to his car. The ride home was pretty quiet with the exception of Bellamy trying to brighten the mood a bit, singing along the songs on the radio with a very off-key voice that actually made Lexa smile. Unfortunately the ride to her place wasn't very long and when she arrived home she still felt a bit low.

Lexa decided to call Anya who she hadn't spoken to in a while as her friend had been really busy with her work. Her best friend answered after the first ring and Lexa let a relieved breath out.

"Hey Lex!"

"Anya! You're not busy, are you?"

"No no it's okay I'm home right now."

"Alright, so how are you?"

"Busy and tired, I can't wait for the Christmas break. I'm trying to close that deal on my own and it's hard, I don't know if i'll be able to make it..."

"I'm sure you will Anya. Ask our parents for help if you need to."

"I don't want to do that."

Of course, Lexa knew her friend and she was aware that Anya was trying to prove herself in the eyes of their parents even if they were proud of her and what she was achieving.

"Anyway Lex what about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..."

"Lexa cut the bullshit. I can hear your voice, what's wrong?" Anya cut in, who had of course immediately recognized the sad tone that Lexa was uselessly trying to hide. It's hard to hide something to someone who knows you that well.

"Something reminded me of Costia today and I guess it still hurts a bit."

"I'm sorry Lexa..."

"Is she coming for Christmas?" Lexa asked, she was stressed out by the possibility of seeing her ex-girlfriend during the holiday.

"No, she's not. She's staying there until mid-January. I would've told you."

"I know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really..."

Having her best friend talking with her was really all she needed and she didn't want to dwell on the past too much.

"Okay. So how are things with your dog's human homonym?"

"Anya don't call her that please! And she's actually my girlfriend now."

"Damn Lex, you didn't even tell me!"

"Sorry."

"So how did this happen? Did other things happen between you two?" Anya asked with a teasing voice.

"Well she came to my place Saturday night and we spent the night together as well as the Sunday and well I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend."

"Huh huh!" Anya exclaimed as Lexa ignored it and continued.

"I just hope we're not going too fast you know. Our first date was a week ago and now we're dating."

"Look if she said yes then I guess it's going at the right pace for her. How do you feel about it?"

"I'm happy, for real I haven't been this happy in a long time. Everything seems so natural with Clarke when I'm not actually making a fool of myself but yeah I enjoy the time we spend together and I think I'm just scared of messing things up."

"Looks like you're both on the same side of things, if you ever have doubts just speak with her Lex."

"You're right."

"Yes I am. So now to the real questions, how was the sex and did you tell her about the dog?"

"Anya!" she tried to reprimand her and Lexa was glad that her friend wasn't actually with her right now because she would have teased the hell out of her blushing like that.

"What? You're gonna tell me you slept all night with a girl and you didn't have sex with her?"

Lexa could hear the skeptical tone in her friend's voice.

"We actually didn't have sex that night and we slept."

It was technically the truth.

"Hum..." said Anya suspiciously. "Ok I won't force you to tell me anything right now, but i'll know eventually!"

Anya dropped the subject and after they talked about Clark, the dog, the two spoke of their families for a while before her exhausted best friend hung up the phone to eat and go to bed. The conversation left Lexa with a smile, both of them were looking forward to see each other at Christmas.

*

Lexa and Clarke texted each other pretty much everyday, just to say silly things or to tell each other about their day. She has just came back from the park with Clark when her phone vibrated, she looked at her phone hoping it was a message from Clarke but it was actually Octavia.

**Octavia :**  
**"You should bring your girlfriend Friday."**

Lexa would've liked to bring Clarke with her on Friday to have dinner at Bellamy's place but unfortunately she knew that Clarke wouldn't be able to make it as Aden was with her this week. She decided to text Clarke anyway, to let her know.

**Lexa :**  
**"Hey beautiful girlfriend of mine! So Octavia just invited us for dinner on Friday night. I know you will surely not be able to come but I just wanted to tell you anyway."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Hey Lexa! =) Yeah I'm sorry I have Aden...It's very nice of her to invite me though, tell her I say thanks."**

**Lexa :**  
**"I know don't worry ;) I will tell her."**  
**"Would you be okay with having dinner with them next week? I'm not pressuring you or anything, you can say no."**

**Clarke :**  
**"I have to check if I have plans and i'll tell you as soon as I know."**  
**"Speaking of next week, I can't wait to see you ;)"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Ok no problem. Me neither =)"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Sorry she can't Friday. Are you free for shopping with me Saturday?"**

**Octavia :**  
**"Damn!"**  
**"Sure thing Lex ;)"**

  
*

There they were, Lexa and Octavia in the packed mall on that Saturday afternoon, a week before Christmas. Lexa had asked her friend to accompany her to buy some gifts for Aden and Clarke, she liked spending time with Octavia and it had been a while since the two of them had some girl time. The teacher hated last minute shopping but she really wanted to buy something for the two of them.

The night before, at Bellamy's place, Lexa had felt more relaxed now that her friends knew about her and Clarke and she told them about their day with her at the gallery and coffee shop.

"So how are things with Clarke?" Octavia asked

To be honest Lexa had not seen Clarke a lot this week except when she drove or picked Aden up from school. The two of them had exchanged looks and smiles and some small talk but that was about it. They couldn't be public for now and Lexa couldn't see Clarke while Aden was with her. It was a strange situation but she understood. Plus they just got together about a week ago so it wasn't necessary to rush things.

"Good, good. We haven't seen each other like only the two of us this week, her son is with her and he doesn't know about us."

"Oh I see. That's why she couldn't come on Friday evening isn't it?"

Lexa simply nodded and Octavia continued :  
"Okay. Well she seemed nice."

"Yeah I saw that you too seemed to hit it off when Lincoln took me aside to talk."

"We were talking about Bellamy." Octavia confessed, confirming what Lexa thought she heard. "He told me you talked to him about Clarke."

"I did. I wanted to tell him myself in case you know, he liked her or something."

"Damn girl you're so caring, he never actually talked to Clarke like outside of school you know."

"I know."

"So are you excited to go back to Polis for Christmas?"

"I actually am, I mean these few months have been awesome obviously, meeting you and the guys and Clarke of course but I kinda miss home, you know. I haven't seen Anya in a while, I think I miss her the most."

Octavia listened to Lexa with attention, Lexa had told her about her childhood and her bond with Anya and the fact that they grew up together with Costia.

"Is Costia gonna be there?" Octavia asked with an unsure expression on her face, she was aware that it was a touchy subject for Lexa.

"No. I asked Anya and she told me she was in Europe for one more month so she won't be there. I'm glad, I don't know what I would have done if she had been in Polis for Christmas."

"Well you could have bragged about you and your new girlfriend." Octavia suggested, winking at Lexa in an attempt to brighten up the mood.

"Haha. So what are you and Lincoln doing for Christmas?"

"We're going to Lincoln's parents, they live near the coast. He has a big family and I think everybody's gonna be here so I guess it's gonna be pretty wild over there. Bellamy is going for dinner with our mom and her new boyfriend..." she finished with a disgusted face.

"You don't seem to like him very much."

"I don't, he's a fucking douche. I don't know why my mom is going out with him! Bellamy doesn't like him anymore than I do but he's going for her."

Lexa nodded in understanding.

"Anyway what are we looking for?"

"Oh hum I need to find something for Aden, I already know what I'm gonna buy for Clarke."

"Okay, lead the way then."

Lexa made her way through the dense crowd of people amassed in the shopping center, and the two women finally reached the video games store where Lexa and Clarke were the other day. She bought the soccer game the two were playing and headed to a toy shop where she hoped to find something for Aden.

"So a soccer video games, that's your idea of a romantic gift?" Octavia asked.

"It's not meant to be romantic, Clarke and I were playing it the other day and she lost, I just think she'd find it funny. Plus we haven't talked about Christmas gifts and we just got together, I'm not gonna buy her jewelry or lingerie, O!"

"Lingerie huh? Damn I'm sure she would look hella great in that!" Octavia exclaimed, hitting Lexa in the biceps.

Lexa jumped at the comment and felt her cheeks burn up a little bit. Clarke in lingerie, it would definitely give her a heart attack.

"Okay no, Octavia, let's not talk about that!"

"Oh come on Lex! Once with Lincoln we wanted to try something knew and he surprised me when I got back home from work, he was wearing..."

"Nope!" Lexa cried putting her hand over Octavia's mouth to prevent her from talking about her sex life or whatever.

She didn't want to have the image of Lincoln wearing who knows what. Octavia was looking at her friends with wide eyes and put her hands up in surrender.

"Fine! Let's go find a toy for Aden then! How old is he?" Octavia asked as they entered the shop.

"He's six. He likes soccer, art, Star Wars and dinosaurs I think." Lexa said before her friend could ask.

She remembered seeing Aden in a Star Wars t-shirt a few times at school and a few dinosaur toys were in the living room when she went to Clarke's apartment. They walked around the store, trying to find something. They stopped near the lightsabers and Octavia immediately took one in her hand, giving another one to Lexa. The two sparred for a minute, laughing and feeling like they were children again, before putting them back.

"I want one of these!" Octavia admitted. "Do you think that would be cool for the little guy?"

"It's nearly as tall as he his so I'm not sure."

To be honest it was the first time that Lexa was buying something for a child, there were none in her family circle or friends, she had the kids in her class of course but she didn't buy gifts for them.

"What about Legos? This one's pretty cool."

Octavia was looking at some star ships and she showed one to Lexa.

It was a TIE Fighter, Lexa checked the age on the box to see if it would be age appropriate for Aden and it was. She decided to take it and went to pay for it. Octavia and Lexa then decided to get a coffee before heading back home, and she texted Clarke as soon as she was alone.

**Lexa :**  
**"I've got something for you."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Ooooh alright! ;)"**  
**"Can't wait to see it."**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments, it means a lot!   
> Enjoy!

"Raven, move your ass, Lexa is supposed to arrive in a few minutes!" Clarke yelled at her best friend who was currently laying on the couch, playing some videogames while Clarke was making dinner.

"Okay horndog, i'll leave!"

"I'm not a horndog! And you can actually stay for dinner if you want, this way I can introduce you to Lexa." Clarke suggested, going back to the kitchen.

"Are you sure your girlfriend is gonna be okay with that?" asked Raven.

"Yeah I already told her you were there."

Lexa freaked out a bit on Clarke when the blonde told her that she was going to meet Raven for real this time but Clarke reassured her that everything was going to be fine.

"Alright then." Raven accepted the invitation to stay and followed Clarke to the kitchen.

"Can you remove the pie from the oven please?"

"Sure thing Griffin. So any things I should not tell your girl?"

"I have nothing to hide." Clarke shrugged and before she could say anything more the doorbell rang. "She's here!"

Clarke left Raven to go open the door.

"Hey you!" Clarke said to her girlfriend who entered the apartment with a smile.

"Hi Clarke." Lexa greeted her and brought her lips to Clarke's.

"Your nose is freezing cold!" Clarke noted after a few seconds of kissing.

"Oh I'm sorry would you prefer me to wait before kissing you next time?" she teased removing her coat and putting her bag next to it.

Clarke kissed Lexa firmly and the brunette responded to the kiss right away, the two of them completely forgetting they had company.

"When you're done kissing can we eat? Coz I'm frickin' hungry guys!" Raven called from the kitchen.

Lexa immediately stopped kissing the blonde and Clarke let out a small laugh before taking Lexa's hand and guiding her to the kitchen.

"Lexa this is Raven. Raven, Lexa."

"Good evening, nice to meet you."

"Likewise! Beer?"

"Yeah thanks."

Raven grabbed three from the fridge as Clarke and Lexa sat next to each other.

"So Clarke told me you're working for NASA, that's very impressive." Lexa complimented Raven taking the beer that the other woman was handing to her.

"I am, I build space rockets." she said simply.

Raven wasn't one to brag about what she was doing for a living, sure she was passionate about it and could talk about rockets and space for hours but Clarke knew that her friend would never treat people like she was better than them.

While Clarke was serving dinner, she observed her best friend and girlfriend speaking. Lexa was trying to know more about Raven and Clarke was aware that she was a bit nervous, her hand playing with the seam of her pants. On the other hand Raven was very relaxed as usual and seemed pretty friendly with Lexa.

Clarke sat back at the table and took Lexa's hand in hers to soothe her. Lexa turned her head to Clarke at the touch, visibly surprised. The blonde smiled at her and Lexa squeezed her hand in return like a silent thank you.

"I didn't know there was a NASA base in Arkadia." Lexa admitted.

"It's pretty new actually, and it's not in Arkadia but about 30miles outside the city. Clarke told me you were from Polis, how is it?"

"Well I mean I grew up there so I would say it's an awesome city. Greener than Arkadia, lots of parks and water everywhere in the city. It doesn't give you the impression to be in a big city." Lexa described.

"Sounds pretty cool."

"It is. So Raven tell me, how was Clarke in school? I heard she wasn't the most well-behaved student." Lexa questioned with a little smirk.

"Griffin was quite the troublemaker, I gotta admit." Raven answered.

"You're the one to talk!" Clarke shouted, pointing at Raven with her fork. "You were always the one getting me in trouble!"

"No one forced you to do that stuff with me. Also who got us suspended for a week? That was not me if I recall correctly." Raven retorted accusingly.

"It wasn't us being troublemakers that time!" objected Clarke.

"What happened?" Lexa inquired, a frown of worry on her face seeing Clarke a bit angry.

"After gym we were taking showers, me and Raven, we were the last ones in the locker room, it was the last period on a Friday afternoon. When we came out of it my clothes were gone." Clarke explained. "Raven's were still there so she gave me her gym clothes because I had nothing to wear and I headed back home pretty pissed off. The next day we went back to school and we heard some girls talking about how disappointed it was that I didn't have to go back home in only a towel. They also said the name of the girl who did this so I found her and just wanted to understand what that was about and give her a piece of my mind."

"And that she did." added Raven.

"So I found her at the cafeteria and went to talk to her."

"Things went downhill from there." her best friend commented.

"The girl was pissed because I was dating Finn at the time so she wanted to take revenge on me I guess. I turned to left after I told her that it was freaking stupid and when I started move away she threw her dessert on the back of my head."

"I just had the time to hear Clarke yell "You bitch!" before she jumped on the girl, and her friends were totally useless and let them fight so I tried to separate Clarke from the girl and I actually got my nose broken by your girlfriend. We ended up being suspended for a week all three of us because the teacher who arrived first saw me with blood all over my face and thought I was fighting the girl with Clarke."

"Okay, first of all poor Raven."

"Yeah Clarke has a nasty elbow strike." Raven nodded, rubbing her nose as the memory.

"Second, I would've done the same, Clarke."

The conversation continued with the tale of some funny shenanigans they got involved in that made Lexa laughed. Clarke was happy to see that, they were getting along pretty well, teaming up against her and making fun of her.

"How was yesterday, Clarke?" Lexa asked after a good laugh trying to regain her calm.

Clarke had not been able to see Lexa until today, Wednesday, because she had been busy with her work at the gallery. She had finally finished her last painting and was starting the preparations for her exhibition.

"Well the paint has to dry before I can move the painting but yeah it's done. I'm really happy about this exhibition, I'm pretty excited for everyone to see it in its entirety."

"It will be as awesome as always Clarke." assured Raven, who had always been supportive of her friend.

Clarke smiled at Raven before continuing :  
"Also Jenny found a new gallery where she can expose her work when my new exhibition will be ready."

Clarke was pretty happy about that because she was feeling bad that she couldn't keep Jenny's art in her gallery since she needed the space for her stuff. Jenny was a very nice person and of course she understood the situation and did her best to help Clarke.

"That's great!"

"Yeah everything is going great." Clarke smiled and finished her plate.

*

After dinner, the three women decided to play some videogames before calling it a night. Clarke was now seated on the couch with Lexa while Raven sat on the armchair. Lexa didn't know what their boundaries were with Raven in the room, and was actually sitting pretty far from Clarke. Lexa wanted nothing more than to put her arms around Clarke but she was unsure. The blonde didn't seem pleased by the distance between her and her girlfriend so she scooted over to Lexa until she was flushed against her side. Lexa immediately relaxed and took the controller Raven was giving to her.

"Okay so Lex, here we go!" Raven said.

Lexa was a bit surprised of being called Lex by Raven already but when she turned her head back to the screen she saw that they were playing Injustice : Gods Among Us, and that Raven had chosen Lex Luthor.

"Oh yeah no I wasn't calling you Lex, Lexa." Raven winked at her with a reassuring smile.

Lexa nodded and went to pick her character to play, she was obviously going for Superman.

"Lex vs Clark. That's pretty funny."

"It is."

Lexa heard Clarke giggle behind her and she tried not to think about her dog and his real name. She would really have to tell her his true name one day. Lexa won the first three fights she had against Raven.

"Damn Lexa you're destroying me! Clarke you wanna beat your girlfriend please?"

"Yeah Clarke let's see if you're better at this than soccer." Lexa teased Clarke reminding her of her lost at the videogames shop.

Clarke took the controller with a determined look on her face and quickly chose Harley Quinn before starting the fight against Lexa and Wonder Woman. Lexa lost the fight with no mercy from her girlfriend who dealt her a grand defeat, and soon Clarke was giving Raven the controller back before approaching Lexa's face.

"Who's the loser now?" she breathed before planting a quick kiss on Lexa's mouth and leaving to go to the restroom leaving Lexa completely breathless but also alone with Raven.

"So Lexa, now that we're alone there's a few things I wanted to talk about."

_"Oops here comes trouble!"_ Lexa thought.

"Clarke and Aden are my family and if you ever hurt them in any way I will come for you. Rockets aren't the only things I build, I love to make things go boom if you know what I mean."

Lexa gulped and nodded, it was never awesome to be threatened by your girlfriend's family or friends but she got the message loud and clear. She knew that Raven and Clarke had a strong bond and knew each other for a pretty long time and she understood the fact that Raven would want to protect her and her son.

"I assure you Raven I have no intention of hurting anyone, I'm not playing with Clarke. I really like her and Aden is a great kid. Also you don't really know me or where I come from but I can tell you that I would never..."

"Alright, alright. I trust you Lexa, you seem like a nice woman. I'm only looking out for them." cut Raven. "Now back to the game! I want to beat you at least once before I leave!"

"Well this means I'm not gonna get rid of you just yet." Lexa joked, trying to clear the air between them.

"Game on!" exclaimed Raven.

Raven finally won after a few fights before she decided to leave and Clarke and Lexa left with her, Lexa wanted to stay at her place because of Clark.

"So she was pretty intense." Lexa began when they got into Lexa's car.

"Raven? Did she say something to you?"

"Well she gave me the best friend talk..."

"Oh my God!" Clarke exclaimed, putting her face into her hands. "I'm sorry Lexa."

"It's alright, I don't plan on hurting you and discovering what Raven has in store for me." Lexa confessed putting her hand on Clarke's thigh who gave her a content smile before squeezing her hand.

"If you were not driving I would kiss you right now, Miss Woods." Clarke said in a low voice.

"Let's get home fast then." Lexa winked before turning her attention back to the road.

*

The next morning Clarke opened her eyes, awakened by the sound of Reese on the other side of the door. She took a look at Lexa, whose body was still entangled with hers, but the brunette showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.

_"Seems like I wore her out."_ thought Clarke, proud of herself.

Clarke managed to get out of the bed without waking her girlfriend and slipped out to take a quick shower. When she came out of the bathroom Lexa was still very much asleep and hugging Clarke's pillow, Clarke smiled at the sight and decided to take Reese out. She wrote a small note to Lexa and put it next to her phone on the nightstand before leaving the apartment with the dog.

Reese was pretty excited and tugged on the leash probably because Clarke wasn't her master and he didn't know her very much. After a few minutes at the park though, Reese seemed to understand that it would lead him nowhere to keep doing that so he stopped.

In the middle of their walk Clarke heard an old man that she didn't know yell her name and walk to her with a dog.

"Good morning Miss."

"Hello...Huh how do you know my name?" she asked defensively.

"Your name?" the old man asked with a confused face.

"Clarke. You called my name." Clarke explained.

"Oh no I was just calling the dog."

"Reese?"

"Reese? His name is Clark."

"I..." Clarke was speechless and to be honest she was a bit confused too.

"Is it Lexa Woods' dog?"

"Yes."

"Well I can assure you his name is really Clark, though I imagine she didn't want you to know you have the same name." the old man stated with a smile. "Have a good day Miss." he said before leaving with his dog.

Clarke turned to the dog who was standing quietly at her feet. She lowered herself in front of him and looked at his collar and found his dog tag.

"Clark." she read out loud.

*

Lexa woke up in her bed alone, after reading Clarke's little note and hearing her talking she decided to jump in the shower before joining her girlfriend and prepare breakfast for them. Twenty minutes later Lexa was out of the shower, still trying to dry her hair with her towel she made her way to the kitchen and found Clarke sipping her tea, looking at something on her phone.

"Good morning Clarke!" she said, joyful.

"Hello Lexa." Clarke answered with a cold tone, something was wrong.

"Are you okay?"

"Well I went at the park this morning and I actually discovered something about your dog." she declared with that same tone standing up from her chair. "Or should I say Clark."

_"Oh shit, she knows about his name. It was meant to happen one day or another..."_

"Clarke, I'm sorry I wanted to tell you..." Lexa began, running her hand through a hair nervously.

"Why didn't you?" Clarke cut harshly.

"I...I was embarrassed, my girlfriend and my dog having the same name, it's weird, I'm sorry I lied Clarke."

"I was the one being embarrassed Lexa, that old man called my name and I was so confused."

"I'm sorry." Lexa repeated making her way to Clarke.

Clarke had her head down, her mouth doing a weird thing and her body was shaking in anger. Then Lexa heard a loud laugh escaping from Clarke's mouth as she sat there, puzzled.

_"What is happening?"_

"Clarke?" Lexa asked not knowing if that was maybe a nervous laugh.

"Oh my God, Lexa you should have seen your face!"

"Huh... So you're not pissed?"

"Of course I'm not, I was just messing with you!" Clarke giggled and put her arms around Lexa, pulling her close to her. "I'm not mad, it's funny. Once I got over the surprise I laughed my ass off."

Lexa smiled and put her arms around Clarke's shaky shoulders before admitting :  
"I didn't know how you would react. Stop laughing."

"I can't!"

"I understand now why he's always barking or whining at the door when we have sex and you call my name." Clarke teased after Lexa gave her a peck on the lips.

"Oh my God. This is even more embarrassing Clarke." Lexa said blushing deeply.

"What? That you're so loud that the dog can hear us?"

"Stop it or we're never having sex again!" Lexa threatened.

"Oh yeah like that's gonna happen..." Clarke laughed before pulling her girlfriend back into a kiss.

After breakfast, Lexa went to her room to retrieve the gifts for Clarke and Aden and came back to the living room where Clarke was seated on the couch, petting Clark.

"Lexa look, I'm feeling myself!"

"Clarke..." Lexa sighed at her girlfriend before sitting next to her, she felt like it was only the first one on many jokes she would get about that subject.

"Two?" asked Clarke looking at the presents in Lexa's hands.

"Well one is for you, and the other one is for Aden. Before you say anything, Aden doesn't have to know that it's from me, I just bought it because I thought he would like it."

"You didn't have to Lexa..."

"I wanted to."

"Thank you." she said, taking the gifts Lexa was handing to her. "I'll put it with the rest of the gifts under our Christmas tree." Clarke stated putting Aden's gifts to the side and opening hers.

"It's so you can train you know." Lexa smirked at Clarke and saw the blonde rolling her eyes at her with the game in her hands.

"You're very funny."

"I am. You like it though?"

"I do. I have something for you too." Clarke announced taking a gift from behind her.

Lexa took it in her arms, by the weight of it it seemed to be a book but to make sure of it she unwrapped it. It was a copy of "Art for Dummies" and it made Lexa smile. This way she would at least be able to get a basic knowledge of art and connect more with Clarke. She thanked the blonde then opened the book to have a look at it.

Lexa didn't read it that day though, they had other plans. After some grocery shopping they made cookies and cuddled on the couch for the rest of the day, watching tv.

Soon it was Friday morning, Lexa packed her bags for her little trip to Polis. She was sad to leave Clarke but she was looking forward to seeing her family and going back to her home town. Clark was coming with her; she couldn't leave him alone in her apartment. After lunch, Clarke helped her to put her things in the car and sat her dog in the back of the car before closing the door behind him.

"I'm gonna miss you." Clarke admitted with a sad smile putting her arms around Lexa's waist.

Unfortunately they hadn't got to see each other a lot this week, and next week they would not be able to see each other either.

"Me too." replied Lexa, pulling Clarke in a tight embrace before kissing her goodbye.

"Text me when you're there, okay?" Clarke demanded as Lexa ogt into her car.

"I will." Lexa said assuringly, before Clarke gave her a last kiss and closed the car door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you wanted to see Clarke finally learn the truth about Clark the dog so i hope it did live up to your expectations =)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this chapter so i hope you will do too! ^^

When Lexa finally arrived in Polis after a four-hour drive, it was already night and the Christmas lights in the streets were on, which she took the opportunity to look at them. The Polis Tower was the most recognizable building of the city and, as always at this time of the year, it was illuminated by thousands of coloured lights.

As Lexa drove in the city, she really felt how much Arkadia was different from Polis: Arkadia seemed so loud and everything was happening so fast there. Polis had much more of a calm aura to it. It was relaxing for a big city, Polis was actually one of the greenest cities in the country, maybe even in the world. It felt like a perfect balance of nature and modernity.

Lexa's and Anya's family both contributed dearly to the city's development. Their parents had a vision for Polis and they did everything they could to achieve it. Beginning with bringing their two different companies together and creating a big one named Jordan-Woods . Anya's parents were working on recycling whereas the Woods were developing renewable energy. In about thirty years the city had completely transformed. Lexa couldn't have said how much but looking at pictures of Polis in her parents' offices when she was younger, she had noticed the changes.

The administration of the city had always been interested in what the Woods and the Jordans had to say and was working with the company to build a greener city for future generations. This association turned out to be really beneficial for everyone and Lexa was sure that Anya would continue their parents work with the city's best interests in mind.

From a very young age Anya had always been fascinated with nature, she wanted to become a florist but growing up she set her mind on taking over from her parents and Lexa's. She had worked her ass off to prove to them that she was worthy of it. Costia on the other hand had always wanted to travel... Costia. Of course coming back to Polis would bring up memories from her to Lexa.

It was where they grew up together, all three of them. The twins and Lexa had always been inseparable. Their parents met each other through business long before any of the girls were born and when they had children it had been the same year. Anya and Costia were older by a few months and were actually fraternal twins, so they didn't look like clones of each other but looked alike as sisters would.

The three girls had gone through everything together, they had always been in the same schools, they had the same friends, the same activities, though Costia had never been a big sport fan, Anya was part of the Trikru team like Lexa. Costia was their number one fan, cheering for them at every game. Lexa smiled at the memory when she went past her old training field.

Their dynamic had changed when they went to high school. During their junior year Costia had started going out with a guy and Lexa quickly discovered that the jealousy she was feeling hadn't been toward Costia but rather toward the guy who was dating her. She tried to hide her feelings but Costia had noticed Lexa's change of behavior, she was more distant with her and Costia talked to Anya about what was happening.

Anya did not force Lexa to tell her everything, Lexa did talk to her though, she broke down when she revealed to her the feelings she had for Costia and the fact that she might be gay. Lexa didn't know how her best friend would react to that but Anya didn't disappoint her, she helped Lexa go through that rough time without talking about it to Costia; it was not her place to do so. By the time Lexa had found out who she was, Costia had stopped dating her boyfriend.

During the summer in between their junior and senior year in high school Anya went on a work trip with her parents. Costia was not interested in the family business and decided not to go with them so she stayed with the Woods.

One day, Lexa and Costia were sitting under the weeping willow in the middle of Lexa's garden and Costia decided to talk to Lexa about what happened when she was dating the guy in their class. Lexa decided to reveal the truth to her friend, no matter the consequences, Costia was her friend and she wanted her to know who she really was.

When Lexa had finished her story, Costia had looked at her with a smile and asked her if she still had feelings for her. Lexa didn't have the time to answer before Costia told her "because i do." it had left Lexa completely shocked that her friend who she was in love with actually had feelings for her too. They exchanged their first kiss that day.

That tree was still right there in the garden and seeing it brought back the memory of their relationship and with it her heartbreak. It was no use to dwell on the past though and Lexa quickly banished the memories from her mind.

The lights on the house's porch went on as soon as Lexa stopped her car. "They must have seen me arrive." she thought, leaving the car and stretching her legs a bit after she let Clark out too.

"Yeah we're home buddy." Lexa told the dog who was running all over the place and bumped excitedly in her legs.

Lexa took her phone from her pocket and sent a message to Clarke, letting her know that she had arrived in Polis. A few seconds later, the door of the house opened and her parents made their way out to her.

"Baby!" her mother called, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Mom i'm eating your hair!" Lexa complained.

Her mother reluctantly pulled away from the hug and before Lexa had the time to say anything she got pulled in a big bear hug by her father.

"You're going to crush her, Gustus!" exclaimed her mother, who pulled her daughter back onto the ground.

Lexa was definitely happy from the warm welcome of her parents, they talked every week on the phone but she had to admit that she missed having them close.

"I'm happy to see you!"

"We are too. Now let me help you with your bags and we can get dinner." her father declared, moving over to the car.

They were at the table ten minutes later, enjoying a nice family meal. Clark was sleeping at Lexa's feet and they were catching up on each other's work before Lexa yawned loudly.

"It's okay, you can go to bed. We'll have all the time to speak tomorrow Lexa." her mother assured her.

Lexa nodded and said hugged them goodnight before going to her room. Clark did not follow her, he usually slept downstairs in the living room. She changed into her pajamas before she took a quick look at her phone where a text from Clarke was waiting for her.

 **Clarke :**  
**"Good. I hope you have a nice Christmas =)"**  
**"I miss you already."**

 **Lexa :**  
**"Likewise. I miss you too."**

If Clarke answered her text she did not hear it, because as soon as her phone was on the nightstand her eyes were closed, Lexa fell asleep.

*

Clarke was getting ready for Raven to pick her up to go to her parent's Christmas dinner, like always, as she was part of the family. When they were in high school, Raven revealed to Clarke that she was living with her alcoholic mother, and didn't know her father. She spent a lot of time at Clarke's house and her parents grew fond of Raven, thinking of her as their second child. Aware of the situation with her mother, the Griffins often offered her to stay with them on numerous times but she never stayed for more than two days.  
  
Clarke remembered the first time her parents gave Raven a hug, her friend cried, something that Clarke had never seen her do even when she was telling her stories with her mother. Raven had been overwhelmed by the feelings of having adults caring about her and treating her as their daughter.

After graduation, Raven left her house and her mother behind, not keeping any contact with "the woman who gave birth to her" like she used to call her and finally getting free. Abby and Jake Griffin assured her that she was always welcome in their house in case she needed them.

Clarke was pulled out of her memories by the sound of her phone vibrating. She quickly finished gathering the gifts she had and took a look at the message she got. It was Raven, telling her that she was down the building waiting for her. A few minutes later, Clarke was putting the presents in the trunk of Raven's Jeep.

"I hope this one's for me!" Raven exclaimed with excitement when she saw the biggest box there was.

"Maybe, maybe not..." Clarke teased her friend. "Size doesn't necessarily means anything about the quality..."

"Hahaha!" Raven laughed.

"I was talking about the gifts, Raven."

"Sure thing Griffin."

The ride was pretty calm. Clarke told Raven about the day she spent with Lexa and her best friend listened to her in silence. Raven seemed a bit tired, like she hadn't slept well in a while but Clarke didn't get worried about that; Raven was a hard worker and was passionate about her work. Some mornings she would drop by Clarke's gallery, they would go get a coffee together and Raven would admit that she had been working on a project all night.

"Girls! I missed you! You should come eat dinner with us more often!" Abby whined as they entered the house.

"I saw you last week mom!" Clarke recalled. "Oh! Aden made that tree bauble in class, he said to give it to you so you can put it on the Christmas tree because yours is bigger." the blonde recalled, handing her mother the glittery bauble that Aden had made.

"Oh it's beautiful." she replied, taking the ornament from Clarke's hand.

The three women joined Jake and sat at the dinner table after Abby complained a little bit more about Clarke and Raven not visiting them as often as they used to. Abby and Jake were a bit sad that their grandson could not be there with them to celebrate Christmas as Aden spent Christmas with his dad every other year. In this case they usually had a second Christmas dinner the week afterIn a way Aden actually celebrated Christmas twice. It was kind of the only good thing in having separated parents actually: getting more presents.

Under Abby and Jake's Christmas tree was sitting a big pile of presents. Once again Clarke's parents had been too generous with them. Aden would be spoiled. Clarke thought for a second about Lexa's present, it had been really sweet of her to buy something or Aden. Also the fact that she didn't want to force Clarke to tell Aden that the gift was from her meant that she respected the boundaries that Clarke had set concerning her son.

"So you have a girlfriend Clarke?" Abby asked like she had some kind of mind reading power and knew that Clarke was thinking about Lexa.

Clarke looked at her with wide eyes, unbelievable, of course Raven had told her mother, these two were very close. Clarke planned on telling them tonight but it seemed that the cat was already out of the bag.

"Hum...yes. I was gonna tell you."

"When do you plan on letting us meet her?" Abby questioned.

"Abby," Jake started with a soothing tone putting his hand on her wife's, "I'm sure Clarke will introduce her girlfriend to us when she's ready."

"Alright, alright!" replied Abby in surrender.

"Everything's alright, Raven?" Jake asked, Raven wouldn't have missed a chance to tease Clarke about Lexa.

In fact, Raven had not talked a lot since they had arrived and that was clearly unusual coming from her. Clarke turned her head to look at her best friend, her head was low and she looked like something was troubling her.

"I...I have something to tell you." The Griffins exchanged concerned looks before Raven continued : "My mother sent me a letter."

*

Lexa and her parents had finally arrived at the Jordans' house, heavily decorated as usual. Though faithful to their want to make the world greener, they had actually installed a wind turbine that produced electricity, that's how the lights on the house were powered. They made their way to the front door and rang the bell before Jeremiah Jordan opened the door.

"Hey guys enter! Anya will be there soon, she was finishing up some paperwork." he gestured for them to enter and after quick embraces, Lexa's father went to the living room putting the presents under the tree and her mother walked to the kitchen to say hello to Lisa Jordan, Costia and Anya's mother.

"Lexa! It's so good to see you!"

"You too JJ!" she smiled embracing the man who was like a second dad to her.

"Why is Anya working on Christmas?"

"You know her, always killing herself with work." Jeremiah shrugged. "I think she still believes that she has competition for the company succession..."

Lexa nodded in understanding then they joined everyone in the kitchen a few seconds later, Lexa was engulfed in another hug by Lisa. Jeremiah poured some eggnog into glasses and gave one to everybody.

"So Lexa, how is Arkadia? Are you happy over there?"

"I am actually. The city is very different from Polis but i'm really happy about work, the kids and other teachers are very kind and it's nice." Lexa answered, voluntarily forgetting to mention Clarke, she didn't know if it would be a weird subject to approach with the parents of her ex-girlfriend.

They all heard the door and Anya quickly appeared into the door frame of the kitchen.

"I see you started without me!" she teased, seeing everyone with a glass of eggnog.

"Anya!" Lexa called and walked to her to give her a big hug, she had missed her. "I missed you" she whispered in her best friend's ear.

"Me too."

"How was work darling?" Lisa asked her daughter.

"Everything is sorted for the Ton-DC contract." Anya said after Lexa and her ended their hug.

"Enough about work, this is Christmas! Let's have dinner!" Jeremiah cut in, leading them to the table.

"So Lexa how are things with Clarke?" Anya inquired as soon as they were all seated at the dinner table.

"Very good." she answered.

"He's a good dog, did you bring him home with you?" Lisa asked.

At her mother's question Anya burst out laughing. Of course she would thought Anya was talking about the dog.

"Why are you laughing Anya?" Lisa asked before turning to Gustus and Caitlin Woods who were also smiling.

"She wasn't talking about my dog." Lexa admitted, Lisa and Jeremiah were also family and she felt like it served no purpose to lie about having someone new in her life. "My girlfriend is named Clarke, with an "e" at the end."

"Oh I see." Lisa said. "How did she react to your dog's name?"

"Well she recently learnt about it and she found it hilarious. I was actually so embarrassed that i hid Clark's real name for a while and when she found out she tricked me and pretended she was mad at me." Lexa explained.

"I love her already!" Anya declared, still laughing.

"I'm happy for you Lexa!" exclaimed JJ with a smile. "How did you two meet?"

"Well actually she has a son who is in my class."

The Jordans nodded and Lexa was relieved that it hadn't been awkward with them being Costia's parents. Lexa talked about Clarke for a while then they started to remind themselves of stories that happened to them but being careful not to mention Costia as they enjoyed their Christmas dinner.

Everybody was happy that they could have a nice family dinner this year for Christmas. They usually organized a Christmas party at the company headquarters, a fancy event that Lexa had attended many times.

After dinner they all went to the living room to open some presents. Lexa was massaging her stomach and nearly collapsed on the couch next to Anya.

"I ate too much."

"Don't talk about food anymore." Anya said holding her belly too.

"Anyone want some Christmas chocolate?" Gustus asked, the question earned grunts from Lexa and Anya who got laughed at by their parents for eating like gluttons.

"You guys took the time to prepare all that awesome food, we were just honoring you!" Anya tried to defend herself and Lexa.

"Ass-licker." Lexa said to her friend, trying to hide it as a cough but obviously failed as Anya heard her and immediately started to move closer to Lexa to tickle her.

"Stop it Anya!" Lexa implored trying to hide her sides, a part of her body where Anya knew she was ticklish.

"God you two are even worse than when you were children!" Caitlin deplored, rolling her eyes at the two girls who were supposed to be grown up women.

The living room was filled with laughter but then the big wooden front door opened and everybody stopped at the sound of it. Anya stopped tickling her best friend and sat up straight in the couch. The door closed. Lexa's heartbeat was out of control and her smile immediately faded away. It could only be one person coming in the house like this. But she couldn't be here. Anya told her she wasn't coming back before mid-January. Still, it was Costia who appeared in the living room as the door closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops Costia is back... 
> 
> I'm sorry in advance if the next update is not next week, maybe it will be but i haven't finished writing chapter 14 yet and i'm working so i don't have a lot of time but i promise i will do my best ;)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry for the delay but here's chapter 14!

Everybody was frozen. Costia was there, she really was there. Nobody said anything, a deep and oppressive silence had fallen on the room.

Lisa was the first to react, standing up and engulfing her daughter in her arms, welcoming her cheerfully. Lexa saw the people around her stand up to greet Costia but she couldn't bring herself to move. She felt Anya's hand on her arm, squeezing it with comfort but it didn't bring any to Lexa.

Lexa finally found the strength to stand up only to leave the room as soon as she did. Her heart was racing and she was feeling dizzy. She slipped away from her family and headed for the bathroom. Lexa closed the door and splashed some water on her face, she was pale as a sheet. She gripped the sink tightly trying to catch her breath.

_A Year Ago :_

_Lexa was sitting on the couch next to Costia in the apartment they had been sharing for three years now. She had been so happy to finally move in with her longtime girlfriend. Looking back on things right now, Lexa had a lump in her throat thinking about the first day they had spent here. After finally getting all their boxes in the apartment they had sat on this very same couch, smiling at each other like a promise of a bright future for the two of them. They were seeing no clouds in their sky beginning this new chapter of their life together._

_Now three years later, things felt different; they had talked about having children and after that things had not been the same between them. Lexa had always wanted children, she loved them, so much that she even became a teacher. Lexa had their future planned in her head, often daydreaming about it, her and Costia married, children and pets. That's what she wanted to have with Costia._

_Unfortunately, Costia had had a different view on the subject of kids, considering them as a burden instead of a source of joy and happiness. Lexa had been quite shocked to know that they didn't share the same dream for their future. Costia wanted to travel, see the world, get married with Lexa but not have children._

_Everyday she felt that hurt in her heart and she tried to hide it away from Costia because she loved her and she wanted to spend her life with her, their love would suffice. Costia had refused to talk about it ever since, avoiding the conversation as much as she could. Lexa had quickly stopped bothering Costia about it but what hurt her the most with the fact that she would probably not have children was the fact that Costia didn't even ask Lexa how she felt. She had not cared about the fact that her girlfriend could be hurt by it. Lexa had let it slide though, thinking that things would get better and that the pain would eventually go away, but it didn't._

_That's why Lexa had decided that today she would finally speak to Costia. Too long she had kept her mouth shut and kept her feelings hidden from Costia because she was so in love with her and didn't want to hurt her. However Lexa was doing it for herself and for her own happiness._

_"Cos..." Lexa began, hesitantly._

_"Huh?"_

_"I need to talk to you about something."_

_"If it's about the party next week I told you it's okay if you don't wanna come, babe." replied Costia, not bothering to look at Lexa._

_"No it's not that."_

_"Okay..."_

_"I'm not happy."_

_Hearing Lexa's words, Costia finally turned her attention from the tv to Lexa, her forehead furrowed in confusion before asking :_

_"Where did that comes from, Lexa? We're happy!"_

_"Maybe you are Costia but I guess i've been feeling like this for a long time now and I didn't know how to tell you."_

_"Why did you pretend like you were happy then?!"_

_"I didn't want to hurt you Cos."_

_"Tell me then, what's going on? Why are you unhappy?"_

_"I think it first started when I talked to you about having kids..."_

_"It was two years ago Lexa!" exclaimed Costia clearly annoyed._

_"Please let me explain." Lexa pleaded and waited for Costia to nod before she continued. "Like I said we started talking about kids and you told me you didn't want any. I felt sad when you said that because I love children and I always thought that we would have some one day. It kinda crushed the dreams I had about our future but I put that away and forgot it because I love you and you're the only thing that matters to me. I told myself that I could live without children. I made concessions for you and I feel like I'm the only one giving up on things I want. I'm not asking you to have children, I think you made it pretty clear that you never want to have any. I just want you to consider my side of things."_

_"It's about that job offer in LA isn't it? You wanted to go and I didn't, I thought you moved on from that Lexa."_

_"How am I supposed to move on if we don't talk?!"_

_"We are! Right now! We are talking Lexa!"_

_"God Costia you hear what I say but you don't listen! I'm tired of you making every single decision for me!"_

_"So what are you saying? That I'm manipulating you?"_

_"This is not what I said..."_

_"Feels like it Lexa. It feels like you think I'm a bitch controlling your life. What do you want? You want me to give up on everything I want for my life for you?"_

_"I gave up children, I gave up a job..."_

_"I thought I was more important than that!" Costia cut in, standing up angrily and starting to walk away._

_"Stop running away from our fights, you always do that!" Lexa yelled at her, furious that Costia wanted to leave once again. "You are more important than anything!" Lexa assured in a calmer voice when Costia had stopped and turned to face her. "But do you ever think about how I feel?"_

_"Then tell me how you feel then!"_

_"I feel like everytime you make a decision for us I sacrifice a part of my own happiness to give you what you want and you don't care!" Lexa blurted._

_"You're an adult Lexa, stop blaming me for making decisions for us.You can make your own."_

_"We're two people in this Costia. You can't be the only one with a say."_

_"Maybe you should grow a pair then." Costia retorted._

_"Here we are again, I'm the problem and you never question yourself because every decision you make is obviously the best!"_

_"Well maybe deciding to be with you wasn't that great of a decision!"_

_Lexa had no words, Costia's words hit her like a truck and she felt a part of her heart break. They had been together for nine years, how could she say that? Lexa's mouth was opened in shock as she stared into the eyes of the woman that she loved, but she wasn't even sure that she recognized her anymore._

_"Lexa I'm sorry I didn't mean it. I love you. I know that you felt sad about the children but as I said I don't see myself as a mother. And as for the job I know you wanted it, but look at how happy you are with your class right now! We can be happy together, like before, I promise Lexa. I love you." she said with a soothing tone, taking Lexa's head in her hands and kissing her._

_A tear rolled from Lexa's closed eye to Costia's hand and her girlfriend pulled away from the kiss, brushing the tear away with her thumb._

_"We'll talk tomorrow, alright babe?"_

_"Yeah." Lexa answered, feeling numb after Costia's harsh words._

_"We're gonna be okay." Costia assured her with a last kiss._

_Lexa went to bed and Costia told her that she was going to finish up some article before joining her. Lexa felt asleep before Costia arrived, or so she thought. In the morning when she woke up, Costia was not in their bed. Nor in the apartment. She called Anya and that's when she knew that Costia had left her._

_She had left without saying goodbye, without trying to save their relationship, she just left. Lexa spent a lot of time after Costia's departure feeling guilty and reliving their last discussion over and over. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything, maybe she was the reason they broke up and not Costia. Maybe when Lexa had tried to hide her pain away she only managed to pull them apart, she should have never spoken about children._

_Then came the anger, not toward herself this time but toward Costia; she didn't even try to make things better. Things got hard and she left, like she always did. Lexa felt abandoned. Was their relationship so unimportant that it wasn't even worth another chance? Why? Was it her fault? What went wrong? What was she supposed to do? Is Costia ever going to come back? Lexa turned and returned all these questions in her head but never got any answers. How do you get closure in such a situation?_

_Lexa had been a mess during these few months and Anya was left to pick up the pieces of the girl who was once her best friend and who had been only the shell of herself since the break up. Anya had bought her a puppy who brought her joy and helped her get herself back together. Lexa didn't know where she would have ended up without her best friend._

And now Costia was back, bringing with her Lexa's heartbreak and the melancholy of their love. It triggered unpleasant memories in her mind. Lexa didn't needed this, she had finally got over Costia, she had someone new in her life, she had began a new life in a new city and she was happy.

How was she supposed to face the person who broke her heart in pieces now that she had finally managed to put the pieces back together?

A sudden knock on the bathroom door made Lexa jump.

"Lexa it's me. Open the door." she heard Anya say.

Lexa unlocked the door and Anya entered the room a few seconds later before pulling her best friend in a hug.

"I'm sorry Lexa, I didn't know, no one knew that she was coming back."

"I know."

"Are you okay?"

"Not really." Lexa admitted, knowing that she could not hide anything from Anya anyway. "I think I should go home."

Anya nodded in understanding and when Lexa was ready the two left the bathroom. Lexa could hear laughter coming from the living room where Costia was telling some obviously fun stories of her last trip. Lexa and Anya entered the room and everybody stopped speaking. Lexa avoided making eye contact with Costia, she didn't even look toward her when she said icily:  
"Glad to see you back so soon, Costia. JJ, Lisa, dinner was delicious, I'm going to head home I'm feeling a bit tired." Lexa added with a way warmer tone to the couple.

Lexa didn't want to be rude toward JJ and Lisa, but she could not stay in the house. She turned to leave and opened the front door when she heard someone get up and make a few steps in her direction.

"Lexa wait!" Costia pleaded.

But Lexa just closed the door behind her and waited a few minutes before her parents joined her in the car. They didn't ask questions on the way home, they both knew what had happened between the two girls.

*

After her arrival, Costia had told her, their parents and Lexa's that her boss had given her a small break for the Christmas holidays, so she had decided to come home and surprise them. Needless to say that it was definitely a surprise when Anya heard her sister's voice in the hall of the house.

Anya had immediately turned to Lexa, whose face had went a few shades paler than usual. She had tried to express some kind of support to Lexa before getting up to greet her sister. Anya hadn't seen Costia in a few months, it was good to see her.

When she had turned back to take a look at Lexa and see what would happen she only saw the empty couch, Lexa had left. Anya had not heard the front door though so she knew that Lexa was still in the house. She went after her and finally found the bathroom door locked.

Lexa let her in and she found her best friend shaken by Costia's arrival. She hadn't seen her like that in a while.

Their parents had gone to bed after talking a few more minutes with Costia, and now Anya was alone in the living room with her sister. She was happy to see her of course, but seeing how it went with Lexa tonight Anya could not help but feel a bit angry towards her sister.

"So Lexa didn't seem so happy to see me..."

"Costia! What the hell?!"

"What? I just thought we could have a chat."

"You left her without a word! And now you want to talk to her?! She wanted to talk to you but that was a year ago! You fucked her up and now that she's happy again you come back and like nothing happened!" Anya defended her best friend.

"Anya I already explained myself to you. I'm sorry for what I did to her and I would like to tell her." her sister answered calmly.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you."

"Please Anya, help me!" Costia said pleading with her eyes.

"Costia I don't know..." she loved her sister but she also loved Lexa and seeing how it affected Lexa to see Costia tonight, Anya wasn't sure that it would be a good idea to reunite them soon.

"You said you would not pick a side and what are you doing right now? Picking Lexa's side." her sister cut, slightly annoyed.

"If I talk to her I pick your side, if I don't, I pick hers. Stop blaming me for Lexa not wanting to speak to you. You brought this on yourself."

Costia was silent for a while, thinking.

"Don't you want things to get back to the way they were before all that?"

"You want to get back with her?" Anya asked angrily, not believing what she was hearing.

"No. I know this ship has sailed a long time ago. I just need to talk to her, explain myself and apologize. I know what I did was bad..."

Costia was cut off by Anya's sour laughter.

"Bad? Yeah wrong, selfish, immature... the list could go on and on, Costia. You barge in hoping that Lexa would want to talk to you. You don't know what you did to her, you were not there! You left Costia, you broke her heart and now that she's finally better you come back. I can't not pick a side anymore, I won't let you her hurt again, I'm sorry."

"God Anya I'm not here to hurt anyone!" Costia almost yelled at her sister before taking a breath to calm down and explain more calmly: "I couldn't stay Anya, it was not good for either of us. We were hurting each other everyday, not necessarily because we fought, we didn't fight a lot we just...we weren't the two people who fell in love in high school anymore. I loved her Anya and I regret the way I left. I would like to have a chance to tell her that at least."

"I'll tell her that you want to talk " Anya conceded "but if she doesn't want to, that's her decision."

"Thank you." Costia nodded.

Anya knew that Lexa had wanted some kind of explanation after Costia's departure to get some closure on their long relationship. Maybe now that she had someone new in her life all that didn't matter anymore to Lexa but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"I'm just gonna head to bed." Anya's sister said before leaving the room.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

Anya collapsed on the couch, releasing a deep sigh. That was not the way she envisioned her Christmas to be. She took her phone out of her pocket and typed a message to her best friend, not knowing if the girl was still up or not.

**Anya :**  
**"How are you doing Lex?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"I'm alright don't worry."**

**Anya :**  
**"Too late."**  
**"She wants to talk to you."**

**Lexa :**  
**"I don't know Anya..."**

**Anya :**  
**"No one's forcing you to."**

**Lexa :**  
**"I'll think about it."**

**Anya :**  
**"Ok."**

**Lexa :**  
**"Goodnight An."**

**Anya :**  
**"'Night."**


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first of all thanks for reading and for the comments and kudos, you guys are awesome! =)  
> Second, i know, poor Lexa =( i didn't plan on writing Costia like that but it's how it ended up being...  
> Anyway ^^ here's chapter 15!

"My mother sent me a letter."

Raven's words had been followed by a long silence, the Griffins were surprised. They all knew that Raven had had no contact whatsoever with her mother since she left home after high school. Learning that news what definitely unexpected.

"Why?" Abby finally asked, clearly she was wary of Raven's mother's action.

"She says she went in rehab and now she's trying to make amends. It's one of the AA steps you know... She wrote a long letter of apologies." Raven explained, her voice showing no sign of anger.

"Are you going to write back?" Jake inquired. "Do you want to?"

"To be honest I don't know. I mean sure it's a nice letter but it doesn't erase what happened between us. I'm glad she's better but I'm not sure I want her in my life anymore. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No kiddo, it doesn't. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about." Jake assured.

"She's the one who hurt you, you did nothing wrong." Abby added before standing up and walking toward Raven to give her a hug. "Whatever you decide to do, we're here for you."

"Thank you."

Raven hugged Abby back tightly as Clarke and Jake exchanged a smile. However Clarke was wondering why Raven didn't told her about it earlier. Of course her parents were also Raven's family but Clarke was her best friend and she was the first person she went to anytime something happened. Was she not comfortable enough to talk about it with only Clarke?

Clarke took comfort in the fact that Raven didn't seem to have talk to anyone about it, not even her mother. Abby and Raven always had a really strong relationship, at first Clarke had been a bit jealous about it but it made her happy that her friend could actually experience some motherly love.

"Are you okay?" Clarke asked Raven when the two of them had a moment alone after dinner.

"Yeah I am. It's nice to know you have a family here to back you up just in case."

"Always." she assured. "So hum...why didn't you tell me that she wrote to you? Before I mean. Did I do something?"

"No..."

"Why then?"

"You were all excited and happy because of Lexa and I didn't want to bother you with that kind of stuff." Raven finally admitted with a shrug.

"Raven..." Clarke sighed. "You know you can always come to me. I always have time for you. Sure I'vebeen talking about Lexa a lot because I really like her and things are doing great but you're my family. Don't ever think you're less important than anyone else in my life. I love you Raven."

Her best friend looked at her with teary eyes before Clarke took her in her arms, trying to convey what she meant with her words into that embrace.

"I love you too, Clarke." Raven replied close to her ear.

A few moments later the two girls separated from each other and Raven asked with a smirk :

"So tell me, is that present for me? Also what is it?"

Clarke knew she was referring to the biggest box there was under the Christmas tree. Raven had already asked her about it but her curiosity seemed unsatisfied by Clarke answer, or maybe she just wanted to change the subject of the conversation.

"Oh my God! Why do you always want to know what every gift is before we open them?"

"Because of reasons! Now tell me!"

"No!"

"It's mine then." Raven stated with a smile, crossing her arms with a satisfied expression on her face.

Clarke rolled her eyes at her friend and exclamed :

"You're such a child!"

"Everything's alright, girls?" The girls heard Jake ask behind them.

"Raven is being her insufferable self so yeah, I guess everything is fine." Clarke sighed once again as Raven stuck her tongue out.

"Great when you girls are done bickering go back to the table, dessert is served!" Jake informed them.

They spent a great evening together, not opening the gifts that waited for them under the tree yet to Raven's great despair but they had to wait for Aden to be there with them. Clarke was very excited to see her little boy open his presents and thought about the gifts Lexa got for him and it made her smile.

When she was back at home, Clarke decided to send a text to Lexa, not necessarily expecting a text back at this hour of the night. Lexa would probably be sleeping or maybe still with her family and not wanting to answer a text. But that was okay, Clarke just wanted to thank her again.

**Clarke :**  
**"Hey I hope I'm not bothering you. I just wanted to say thank you again for Aden's gift, I'm sure he will love it. Merry Christmas Lexa =)"**

Clarke got ready to go to bed after sending the text but surprisingly Lexa responded right away.

**Lexa :**  
**"I hope he will. Merry Christmas to you too Clarke."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Did I wake you up?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"No, you didn't. I can't sleep."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Did you drink too much eggnog? Lol"**

**Lexa :**  
**"I wish..."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Are you okay Lexa?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"I don't know."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Do you want to talk about it?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Maybe not tonight."**

**Clarke :**  
**"Okay. You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"I know. Thank you."**  
**"Hey are you in bed?"**

**Clarke :**  
**"Ooooh so we're sexting now? You're hard to keep up with you know ;)"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Clarke no! I didn't mean that!'**

**Clarke :**  
**"I can imagine your cute flustered pink cheeks right now. Adorable."**

**Lexa :**  
**"I just wanted to know if I could call you."**  
**"And I'm not adorable!"**

**Clarke :**  
**"Yes and yes."**

A few seconds later Clarke's phone was ringing and she immediately picked up.

"Hey adorable girlfriend!" she greeted Lexa with a grin.

"Hey yourself. So how was your Christmas dinner?"

"Great. Raven can't keep things to herself though and told my parents about you, so my mom was very curious and insisted on knowing when she would meet you."

"I see... Did you want to keep me a secret?"

"Why would I?! No I just wanted to tell them myself but Raven and my mother are pretty close, I shouldn't have been suprised."

"Ok." she heard Lexa nod but Clarke felt like something was off and she tried to cheer her girlfriend up by telling her some incredibly embarrassing story that happened to her at a Christmas dinner.

"You know I have a funny Christmas story if you're not gonna sleep right now."

"Go on." Lexa encouraged her on with a small voice.

"So we were at that hospital party you know coz my mom's a surgeon. It was a fancy event, I hate those things but I had to go with my parents. Here I am fifteen year old Clarke in one of the most uncomfortable cocktail dresses I'veever worn. I mean my boobs looked great but man the dress was awful."

"They always look good, Clarke." Lexa chuckled.

"Thanks, but moving on... We arrived to the dinner party, it was crowded. After we finally say hello to everyone I escape to look for the food. I find the buffet, like gosh the food was delicious but anyway, I'm eating and that guy who was clearly older than me, like about ten years older, appears and starts flirting with me. I was looking at my phone so I put it back in my in my handbag and close the zipper. I politely excuse myself and leave the guy behind me, except I took something with me. When I closed my bag a piece of the tablecloth got stuck in the zipper and when I walked away...everything fell on the floor, all the food on the ground, the glasses breaking down... It was chaos. My mom was so embarrassed after it, my dad still mocks me from time to time but yeah clumsy doesn't even start to describe me that day." Clarke spoke about her worst Christmas dinner ever and as she ended her story she heard Lexa burst into the biggest laugh she'd heard from her yet.

"Oh my God! Thank you Clarke." Lexa said after she finally found some air and a normal breathing pattern.

"Nice to see what my embarrassement does to you." Clarke joked but really she found the story pretty funny, it happened a few years earlier and frankly it doesn't serve any purpose to keep being embarrassed about that.

"No really, thank you." Lexa thanked in a more serious tone.

"What for?" Clarke asked, a bit confused.

"I just wanted to hear your voice, to cheer me up." Lexa explained. "You're exactly what I needed."

"I'm glad I could do that. And Lexa I don't know what happened but when you'll be ready to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"Thank you."

"Stop thanking me now, it's going to sound super repetitive."

Lexa made a weird noise that was actually a mix between a laugh and yawn and Clarke decided that it was time to end the call.

"I think you should try to get some sleep, not that you need beauty sleep but you know..."

"You're right I don't." Lexa cut in.

"Damn, I'll stop making compliments to you!"

"Please don't."

"Alright." Clarke accepted with a yawn, she had to admit that she was a bit tired herself.

"Goodnight Clarke. I can't wait to see you."

"Me neither. Sleep tight Lexa."

Clarke ended the call and went to bed a bit troubled. Lexa was definitely bothered by something and Clarke was wondering what it could be. She went back home to her family but Clarke had no clues about what could have happened. And then she remembered Lexa's best friend, they were really close, like family and she wondered if maybe they had celebrated Christmas together. Clarke knew that Lexa's best friend's sister was Lexa's ex girlfriend, what if she had been there too?

_"Or maybe I'm just totally paranoid. Lexa will tell me when she wants to."_

Her head filled with troubled thoughts Clarke was having a hard time finding sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Lexa's ex.There was no point in getting worried because of it, but she knew literally nothing of what happened with Lexa and her. To be fair Clarke had not talked about Finn to Lexa either so she didn't have any right to complain.

_"Maybe it doesn't even have to do anything with her ex."_

With that thought in mind Clarke finally fell asleep.

*

On New Year's Eve, Clarke found herself once again at her parents house with Raven, but this time they were accompanied by Aden. The boy had spent Christmas with his father and now Clarke and her family had decided to kill two birds with one stone and to celebrate their Christmas and New Year's Eve on the same day. All week Aden had been really excited about coming to his grandparents' house and finally opening the rest of his presents, the boy could care less about New Year's Eve.

Clarke had been a bit worried about Lexa. She was still in Polis and even though she hadn't talked about what had bothered her on Christmas Day, Clarke still felt like Lexa was a bit troubled. The blonde hadn't asked questions - not wanting to be intrusive - but the want to do so was still very present. She had texted her girlfriend everyday and everything seemed fine so Clarke decided to relax and enjoy her family time before seeing Lexa again next week.

They had a great dinner, Aden didn't eat a lot, too excited to be opening his presents after dinner. After eating, they head up to the living room to finally unwrap all the gifts. Aden had been really happy to see that Clarke had given her parents the Christmas bauble that he had made in class.

"Damn I knew this one was for me!" Raven sang as she took the biggest box under the tree.

"Maybe but I have more gifts than you, Auntie!" Aden bragged behind the pile of boxes he had in front of him.

"True." Raven admitted with a little shrug. "So who's first?"

"Me!" Aden yelled with excitement as no one was actually surprised.

The little boy got some new toys, including the TIE Fighter that Lexa got for him, art supplies and a brand new bike with his grandparents who claimed that the old one was getting a bit small for such a big guy. When Aden had seen the bike he had immediately wanted to go outside to try it but Clarke wasn't of her son's opinion, it was freezing cold outside and it was in no way a weather for him to go ride his bike. After a moment of protest Aden had stopped whining and went back to opening the rest of his gifts.

Raven had nearly killed Clarke with the hug she put her into when she discovered the drone that Clarke had bought for her. The blonde was actually relieved that Raven was so happy because she was not an expert in that type of object at all and wanted something of quality for her friend.

Clarke had gotten a few art books from her parents and that blue jacket she wanted since she saw it in the shop from Raven. Aden had made some beautiful drawings for his mom and with the help of Raven and his grandparents, he had put together a photo album full of pictures of her and her family. Clarke had a hard time keeping the tears from falling from her eyes but she managed to do so as she hugged her baby boy tightly in her arms.

After all the unwrapping, they had decided to play some board games in the living room, Aden had played some turns before going back to his new toys and eventually coming back on the couch. Right now he was asleep between his mother and Raven. His head resting on Clarke's lap and his legs on Raven's. Clarke was passing her hands through Aden's hair thinking about how big her baby boy already was.

"They grow up fast, don't they." Jake said to Clarke with a melancholic tone.

"I can't believe he's already six. It feels likehe was born just yesterday." Clarke admitted, the memory was still fresh in her mind.

"It's nearly midnight." Abby announced.

"Do we wake the little lion up?" Raven asked quietly to Clarke.

"You know he's going to be grumpy and mad at us if he's not awake for the countdown." Clarke replied, knowing her son.

Clarke gently pushed Aden's hair away from his forehead and placed soft kisses on it, the boy stirred slowly and opened his sleepy eyes with a smile.

"It's nearly time, baby." Clarke cooed.

Aden immediately sat up and looked at the clock, a few minutes later they were counting down the seconds before the new year.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they all yelled at the same time before hugging each other.

Jake and Abby shared a chaste kiss during which Raven put her hands on both Aden's and Clarke's eyes complaining about the fact that there were children in the room. Clarke shooked her head with a smile before taking her phone out of her pocket to send a text to Lexa.

**Clarke :**  
**"Happy New Year Lexa! *Kiss emoji*"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Happy New Year babe! I wish I could kiss you right now!"**

**Clarke :**  
**"You ok Lexa?"**

Clarke typed, it wasn't the kind of text she got from her girlfriend usually.

**Lexa :**  
**"I'm just a bit drunk rn and I miss you."**

**Clarke :**  
**"You're cute."**

"Clarke is texting the bae!" Raven exclaimed before whistling.

"What's a bae?" Aden asked.

Raven gave Clarke an apologetic smile; her best friend had told her and her parents not to mention Lexa in front of Aden.

"It's just a friend of mine." Clarke replied to the sleepy boy, hoping that his state would not make him able to remember that conversation the next day. "It's time to go to bed now baby."

"But mom I'm not tired!"

Clarke raised her eyebrows at this as the boy yawned loudly.

"Oh really?"

Aden pouted before standing up and hugging Raven then going to say goodnight to Abby and Jake. Jake took the little boy in his arms and walked over Clarke.

"Say goodnight to your mommy, I'm going to take you to bed."

He hugged his mom tightly and put a big kiss on her cheek before his grandfather left the living room with him. Raven immediately turned to Clarke to apologize.

"I'm sorry Clarke! I totally forgot about Lexa!"

"At least you didn't say her name." Clarke tried to play it down. "I just hope he won't remember it and tell his dad. I don't want to talk with Finn about that yet."

"He's gonna flip his shit." Raven nodded.

"You have every right to date someone, Clarke." Abby stated. "Finn will have to get over it."

"Yeah. But were not there yet, no need to think about that now."

"So what about you Raven, you haven't told me if you're dating someone." Abby inquired and Clarke was glad the talk had moved from Finn to Raven's love life.

"I'm not really into dating these days, if you know what I mean." she replied, winking.

"Oh God Raven, that's my mom, let's not talk about your sex life here!" Clarke whined, putting her head in her hands.

"It's not because I'm old that I don't have sex or can't talk about it, Clarke!" Abby protested and Raven laughed with a nod.

"Aaaaaaaah no please. Dad, save me!" Clarke yelled to Jake as he entered the room.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys i am so so so sorry that i didn't update earlier! =s I did finish writing the chapter like 2 weeks ago but i didn't like the second part and i didn't want you to read that (it was shitty). So yeah it took time but here it is.
> 
> Enjoy and i'll do what i can to update soon.

Lexa was finally coming home from her first day back at school. She had been happy to be back with her class, and the kids were all eager to tell her what they did during the holidays. They asked about hers too and she told them that she had a great time with her family. It wasn't false. She had missed her family and Polis. The only negative point during her time back in Polis had been the arrival of Costia. She had not seen her ex-girlfriend after Christmas; she had spent her New Year's Eve with Anya out in the city, and they had had a blast going to one of their favorite clubs with no talks of Costia.

Now Lexa was back in Arkadia, still unsure about seeing Costia or not and aware of the fact that she would probably have to talk about her to Clarke. She didn't want to hide what happened from her, as her girlfriend she had the right to know.

Lexa finally turned in her street and got a pleasant surprise waiting for her at the bottom of her building. Clarke was sitting on the stairs with a flower bouquet in her hands. The blonde stood up with a big smile as soon as she saw Lexa parking her car. Lexa hurried to turn off the engine and got out of the car after taking her bag on the passenger seat. She walked to Clarke with a smile as bright as the blonde's.

Lexa noticed that her girlfriend's nose was bright pink and understood that Clarke had been waiting for her for a while outside her apartment in the freezing cold weather.

"Clarke, you must be freezing!" Lexa exclaimed worriedly as she flushed her body against the blonde and directed her to the door.

"I wanted to surprise you!" Clarke pouted.

"And that you did, thank you." said Lexa when they were finally inside the building.

Clarke handed the flowers to Lexa, who took them gladly.

"They're beautiful, Clarke." she complimented and she closed the gap between their lips and greeted her girlfriend with a small peck on the mouth before going upstairs.

"I thought I would get more kisses." Clarke complained, following Lexa up the staircase.

"Why don't you hurry so I can show you how much I missed you?" Lexa suggested with a smirk to a gulping Clarke.

Lexa got her keys out and fumbled a bit before opening the door and flushed Clarke's body against it as soon as it was closed. Clarke let out a surprised gasp as her back hit the door. Lexa's lips moved hungrily against the blonde's, she managed to get Clarke out of her coat quickly. Lexa's bag and the flowers had been quickly put away near the front door by the teacher.

"I didn't want to do that in the hall of my building." Lexa stated, panting into Clarke's mouth.

Clarke reclaimed the lips that were obviously too far from hers for her taste and the two women started walking away from the door without breaking their kiss. Lexa was going backwards, she knew her apartment, but before reaching the bedroom door Lexa felt something hit her legs and it threw her off balance.

It was her dog, being happy to see them who had bumped into Lexa's legs. Lexa tried to hold on to Clarke but it was too late, she not only fell on the floor but she pulled Clarke with her. Lexa's back hit the floor hard and Clarke's body came crashing on hers not even a second later.

"Oh my God Lexa are you okay?" she heard Clarke asked, visibly worried, her hands on Lexa's face, looking for any sign of pain.

"It hurts." Lexa groaned.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No, just my back. I'll be fine." she assured with a little smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Clarke!" Lexa exclaimed, propping herself on one elbow and putting her other hand in Clarke's hair to pull her back and kiss her.

She didn't have time to do so because Clark came right in between their heads and started licking Lexa's face. She tried to get him off of her as Clarke laughed loudly.

"Clark go away!" Lexa commanded, pulling him away but the dog kept on coming.

"It seems that your dog doesn't want us to have sex, Lexa." Clarke joked as she put herself back up and handed her hand to Lexa to get her up.

Lexa got up and put Clarke in a tight embrace.

"I missed you." she admitted to her girlfriend.

"Me too. That's why I decided to surprise you. I know we were supposed to see each other later tonight but I couldn't wait."

The confession put a big smile on Lexa's face. "I'm glad you did." she said putting Clarke back in a soft kiss this time.

They kissed for a few seconds before the kiss got heated again and the two were back to walking toward the bedroom. Unfortunately for them Clark had other plans and the dog began barking when Lexa had opened the bedroom door. He needed to go out. They reluctantly broke the kiss.

"Clark I swear to God I hate you right now!" Lexa told her dog.

"Oh you do?" Clarke asked with a teasing tone.

"I was taking to the dog."

"I know." Clarke smiled before taking Lexa's hand. "We can go for a walk with him and when we're done we'll make hot cocoa and cuddle on the couch. How does this sound?"

"Perfect." Lexa answered as she leaned for a last kiss.

Both women put their coats back on and Lexa put his collar on her dog's neck before they left. It was freezing cold outside and they didn't meet anyone in the park during their walk, not even Mr Lemkin. Clarke and Lexa didn't hang around for long and were glad that the dog did his thing quickly so they could go back to Lexa's apartment soon.

About thirty minutes later they were snuggling on the couch under a blanket, a chocolate mug in their hands.

"So how was your New Year's Eve? You seemed like you had fun." Clarke asked.

"Yeah I did. I was out with Anya and some friends from college, we went to Grounders, it's a nightclub. We used to go there when we were younger, it was nice to see everyone again."

Lexa had not seen some of her friends from college in a long time so it had been nice to catch up with them and spend some more time with Anya.

"It must have been nice." Clarke nodded. "Better than your Christmas?"

Lexa understood that Clarke was opening the door for her to speak about what happened at Christmas without being pressing.

"Yeah it was. About that..." Lexa began hesitantly. "I was pretty upset when we talked at Christmas because my ex appeared out of nowhere. Things didn't end very well between us." She explained to Clarke who didn't say anything, letting Lexa continue her story. "We were together for a very long time and I woke up one day after we had a fight and she was gone. She left without a word and refused to talk to me after she left. I stopped trying to contact her after a few months. At Christmas it was the first time I'd seen her since her departure."

Clarke got out of Lexa's embrace and put her mug down on the coffee table before turning to Lexa and squeezing her arm reassuringly.

"Lexa, I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Lexa thanked Clarke and put her hand on hers.

"So what happened at Christmas? Did you talk?"

"No. Seeing her, it made me angry and I just wanted to go away, so I just left. But Anya told me that she wanted to talk to me. I just don't know what to do about that." Lexa sighed. "I'm sorry talking about Costia..."

"Lexa it's fine! I told you you can talk to me." Clarke reassured. "Do you want to see her?"

Did she? A year ago she would have given everything to talk to Costia, but now... She had gotten over Costia, with difficulties but she had done it. She had Clarke and she didn't want Costia's return to jeopardize what they were building together. Lexa didn't owe Costia anything, not after the way she left, but at the back of her mind there was still that want to have the answers to her questions and get the closure she needed.

"Maybe...Would you be okay with that?"

"Would I be okay with that? Lexa yes! I mean I see my ex quite often I'm not going to have a problem with you seeing Costia...well except if you plan on getting back with her." Clarke added, failing to fake a joking tone.

Lexa had a little lump in her throat at Clarke's unsure tone and closed face. No she didn't want to get back with Costia, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She was sorry that Clarke may have gotten mixed signals and thought that.

"Clarke no, of course not!" Lexa exclaimed putting her mug on the coffee table, next to Clarke's. She put her hands on either side of the blonde's face and continued "You make me happy, Clarke."

Lexa moved forward and connected her lips to Clarke's, wanting to express what she had just said. Clarke responded to the kiss right away.

"You make me happy too, Lexa." Clarke sighed, putting her forehead against Lexa's as Lexa nodded.

*****

"Lexa!" Clarke moaned and Lexa kept sucking on her pulse point with a renewed fervor, not actually the desired effect.

The two women were laying on the couch, Lexa on top of Clarke, kissing her neck with want.

"Lexa stop!" Clarke managed to say this time, she honestly didn't want Lexa to stop what she was doing but Lexa's friends were supposed to arrive any minutes now.

Lexa removed her lips back from Clarke's neck and lifted her head to face Clarke. She had an adorable pout and Clarke had a hard time not to kiss it away.

"That's not what you were saying last night." Lexa teased, an eyebrow raised.

Clarke groaned at the memory, last evening they had been in the same position on the couch, except no guests were expected.

"Alright, alright!" Lexa laughed before getting off of Clarke and the couch.

She put her hand in her hair, trying to comb it a little as Clarke had the habit of putting her hands in it when they were kissing and tangling it. Clarke followed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.

Lexa had given her the distraction she needed to get her thoughts away from Costia this week. Clarke had spent the entire week at Lexa's place, the two practically living together but Clarke had not been bothered by it this week, she had needed her girlfriend close to her. Lexa's revelation had had weighed her mood down. Putting insecurities into her head even if Lexa had completely reassured Clarke that she didn't want to go back with her ex, she couldn't help but think about it.

But tonight, Clarke was meeting Lexa's friends, she already knew them as teachers but this time it would be different. She wanted to make a good impression on them. If she was being entirely honest, Clarke was a bit stressed out. Meeting your girlfriend's friends always is. She remembered how anxious Lexa was to meet Raven. She splashed a bit of cold water on her face to calm down, then dried it. After a few seconds she talked to her reflection in the mirror :

"Let's do this!"

Clarke got out of the bathroom and joined Lexa in the kitchen. Her girlfriend immediately put her in her arms and put a stray of hair behind her hear.

"Everything's okay, Clarke?"

"Yeah I'm fine, a bit nervous." she admitted.

Lexa gave her a reassuring smile "It's gonna be fine, they're gonna love you, Clarke."

"I hope so."

"I'm always right."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Clarke shook her head and moved forward to give Lexa a small kiss to shut her up. The doorbell rang a second later and Lexa gave Clarke a last peck on the lips before taking her hand and leading her to the door behind her. Lexa opened the door and Octavia, Lincoln and Bellamy entered.

Lincoln shook Clarke's hand and gave her a big smile then Bellamy quickly shook her hand too with an awkward smile and little eye contact and moved to pet Clark who was near the kitchen counter.

_"The poor man must still be embarrassed about what happened when he asked me out."_ Clarke thought.

Octavia greeted Lexa with a hug before moving toward Clarke who handed her hand to her.

"Clarke!" Octavia excitedly exclaimed before putting Clarke in a little hug.

Clarke was surprised by the greeting but it put her at ease immediately.

"Octavia, nice to see you again."

"You too! So how did your kid like Lexa's present?"

"He loved it." Clarke answered, wondering if Lexa talked to her friend about buying a gift for Aden.

"Octavia accompanied me to buy it." Lexa cleared up, without Clarke needing to ask.

"Oh!"

"Beers?" Lexa asked with the fridge opened in front of her.

Everybody nodded.

"So what are we eating tonight?" Bellamy asked taking a seat in the kitchen.

"Roast chicken. Clarke cooked it." Lexa answered.

"Ooooh, someone's trying to win points with Lexa's friends." Lincoln joked.

"I mean..." Clarke started.

"He's just messing with you." Octavia reassured, patting Clarke's arm as Lincoln winked at her.

"So Clarke, Lexa told us you're an artist, what do you do?" Lincoln inquired, taking a seat beside Bellamy.

"Yeah I am. I mainly paint but who knows maybe it would be good to step out of my comfort zone and try something new, maybe in my next exhibition."

"You expose your work?" Octavia asked.

"Yes, I have a gallery in the center of the city. I just finished working on my fourth exhibition, I'm making the preparations for the opening night."

"Nice! I've never been to an art exhibition, how is it?"

"Well I could put you on the guest list if you want." Clarke suggested to Lexa's friends at Octavia's question.

"Oh that would be amazing!" Octavia said with her mouth wide opened.

"We wouldn't want to impose." Lincoln protested.

"Don't worry I'm inviting you."

"Thank you Clarke." Bellamy thanked, on behalf of her sister and brother-in-law too.

Clarke nodded to him and Lexa began cutting the chicken. The group enjoyed their meal while talking. Clarke felt glad that everything was going smoothly and that Lexa's friends were including her into the conversation, all traces of nervousness had disappeared from Clarke's mind.

"Are you guys coming to the gala in two weeks?" Bellamy asked.

"I don't know, it will depends on which shift I am this week." Octavia shrugged.

"What gala?" Clarke inquired.

"The school gala, the fundraising event." Lexa explained.

"Oh I had totally forgot about that. Finn usually goes to it, I guess it will be my turn to go then."

"Finn?" Octavia said with a confused face.

"My son's father." Clarke explained.

"Oh right."

"Are you going Lexa?" Clarke asked to her girlfriend.

"Yes. It's mandatory for us teachers."

"Then I guess i'll see you all there."

They finished eating and Lexa's friends moved to the living room as Clarke was helping Lexa clearing the table.

"Are you okay?" Clarke had noticed a little frown upon Lexa's face when they had talked about the gala.

"Yeah..."

"Don't lie to me." Clarke cut, knowing that something was bothering her.

"It's just, the gala. We can't go together. I'm sorry." Lexa explained.

"Lexa I know that, I wouldn't want to jeopardize your work there. I'll see you at the gala but I swear it will be all parent teacher between us, okay?"

"Okay." Lexa nodded with a small smile.

Clarke hugged her. Of course it sucked that they couldn't go as a couple but they couldn't risk Lexa's job for their relationship.

"So...what are you gonna wear?" Clarke asked teasingly.

"Clarke!"

"What? I just want to know if I should be emotionally prepared."

"You'll just have to see."

"Alright Miss Woods." Clarke nodded, getting out of Lexa's arms and getting the drinks for them and Lexa's friends.

Clarke saw Lexa rolling her eyes at her at the nickname and she joined Octavia, Lincoln and Bellamy in the living room. Lexa came a few minutes later and the night went on with Lexa, Lincoln and Bellamy telling some of their funny teacher stories and Octavia added some of her own work stories that everyone but Clarke seemed to have heard already but Clarke had fun and really enjoyed their company.

"Slow down on the sweets baby, you won't be able to run tomorrow morning." Octavia teased when Lincoln took a handful of chocolate candies.

"But I love candies!"

"That's bad for your training!" Octavia reminded to her pouting husband.

"What are you training for? I just thought you were running for fun, though I don't get the fun part in running at all." Clarke laughed, sport had never been her thing, well except to watch a nd she definitely didn't complain about Lexa's great body.

"These two crazies are training for the Arkadia marathon." Bellamy answered.

"Wow!" Clarke gaped at her girlfriend and her friend, she knew Lexa ran a lot, but a marathon...that was impressive.

"Yeah. I've always wanted to do that but when you're alone it can be a bit hard to stay focused and keep motivation. I've been lucky to meet Lincoln, he's the best training partner." Lexa admitted giving Lincoln a little smile.

"Awe Lex!" Lincoln smiled too."I couldn't have asked for a best partner."

"Okay okay enough with all the compliments you two, I'm gonna start to get jealous!" Octavia joked, nudging him.

Lincoln put his arm around his wife and kissed her cheek before continuing "As Lexa said it's very motivating to have someone training with you. We were both already strong runners before meeting each other and I guess it gave us a new challenge, a marathon is very long and it's not only a physical training but mental as well. You need to be able to keep going and don't quit."

Clarke nodded, she had volunteered a few times with her mother to be in the medical team surrounding the event, the first time had been when she was a medicine student. She had had a great experience everytime and she knew that running a marathon was quite the commitment.

"That's awesome" Clarke congratulated Lincoln and Lexa.

"Yeah wait 'til you spend your holidays home alone while these two are out running." Octavia complained.

Clarke laughed at Octavia's comment and got up : "Anyone want another drink?"

The others nodded and Bellamy rose from his seat, taking the empty glasses from the table. "Let me help you."

Bellamy accompanied Clarke to the kitchen and put the glasses on the counter while Clarke took out the bottle of wine. An awkward silence had set between them.

"Look Clarke, I just wanted to apologize again for what happened last year, I was out of line. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I don't want things to be weird between us now that you're dating my friend..."

Clarke looked at the man who was visibly still embarrassed about it. "It's all in the past, don't worry, we can put all that behind us and never talk about it again." she assured "Though I'm sure your sister will keep teasing you about it."

"Yeah she will. But I can handle Octavia's teasing, I'm used to that." Bellamy shrugged. "Thank you Clarke." he said with a serious tone.

Clarke smiled at him and took two glasses, leaving the others to Bellamy.

"Let's go back."

Clarke led the way to the living room and put the glasses on the table, taking her seat next to Lexa back. She saw her girlfriend throw an interrogative look at her which she responded to with a nod saying that everything was okay.

At the end of the night, Octavia and Clarke exchanged numbers and promised each other to meet for coffee soon before she left with her husband and her brother. Clarke was happy that the night went even better than what she expected and was glad that she found new friends in Octavia and Lincoln, and maybe even in Bellamy.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn guys i'm the worst --'... i've been super busy with work and i had a writer's block, sorry it took so long for me to update.  
> I hope the next one won't take that long.  
> Again i'm very sorry and i hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

In half an hour Clarke would have to be at the annual Mount Weather Gala. She was late. She still had to take a shower, get dressed and go to the school. She had spent the afternoon at the gallery then she had coffee with Octavia, which took way more time than either of the women expected. Octavia left abruptly when they looked at the time and saw that it was that late. Octavia had to go to work and wouldn't, unfortunately, be at the gala tonight. That's why the two of them had decided to have that coffee this afternoon.

Clarke discovered that Octavia and her brother had also been living in Arkadia since they were children. They had never seen each other before though because the two women were in different schools, in different parts of the city. Arkadia was a big city so it wasn't surprising that they didn't know each other.

After that, they had talked about children, Octavia had confessed to Clarke that she didn't really think about having children before getting with Lincoln but now that they had been married for a while they were seriously talking about it. Clarke told her own story to Octavia and how she got Aden. Octavia had asked a bit about Finn but Clarke quickly discarded the subject, she didn't want her girlfriend's friend to get the wrong idea and maybe think that there was still something between Finn and her. After a while, Octavia noticed that it was getting late and suggested that both of them should probably be leaving or they would be late, Clarke to the gala and Octavia to work.

Clarke had a great time with Octavia and she was glad that she was actually getting along with Lexa's friends but now as usual she was running late. Thankfully Clarke had already picked up her outfit for the night and let's just say that in the end she was fashionably late to the gala.

Clarke texted Lexa that she was there before entering the hall of the school and she hoped that she would find the teacher quickly. When she arrived, she left her coat at the cloakroom then she entered a large ball room in which soft classical music was playing. The place was packed but she managed to reach the buffet, trying to find anyone she would've known in the crowd but it wasn't the case. She smiled politely at a few person at the buffet who were getting food too.

" _God i hate these events!_ " she thought, putting an apetizer in her mouth. It tasted heavenly and for a sescond Clarke forgot her hatred for galas and fancy events like this one. At least there was a good thing about it.

"Caution Miss Griffin, you might knock over everything that's on this table. God knows you can be clumsy." Lexa whispered from behind her before she could stuff any more food in her mouth about ten minutes later.

Clarke turned over to face Lexa who was wearing a pretty white dress, her loose hair falling on her shoulders, she was beautiful.

"Miss Woods, it's so nice to see you!" Clarke greeted with enthusiasm, she was glad not to be alone anymore. "Where have you been? I texted you ages ago!" she complained quietly.

"Ages ago? Aren't you going a bit far?"

"I hate galas."

"You and i both Clarke."

"Miss Griffin." Clarke reminded her playfully.

"Right. Champagne?"

Clarke nodded, and Lexa grabbed two flutes on the tray a waiter was holding next to them.

"Did you have a good time with Octavia?"

"I did, she's really great."

"Yeah, i'm glad you're getting along that well."

"Me too."

"I should probably go back to greeting people" Lexa sighed "If i see the guys i'll tell them where you are."

"Thanks. Come back soon."

After a little smile toward her girlfriend, Lexa left and Clarke turned her attention back on the buffet. She mingled with some other guests for a while, making polite conversation with them. Clarke had to admit that the night wasn't that bad after all. She met Mr Sinclair who introduced his wife to her, they concluded their small talk by planning a play date between Aden and Leo, Mr and Mrs Sinclair's son. Aden and him were friends so Clarke was sure that he was going to be happy about it.

"Oh excuse me!" Clarke apologized as her back hit someone.

"It is fine Mrs...?"

Clarke recognized Mrs Frost's voice and was greeted by her less than sympathetic expression/face when she turned around to face her.

"Ms Griffin, we met in Mr Wallace's office." she reminded the woman.

"Right. The fight." Mrs Frost replied with a nonchalant tone. "I'm glad your son didn't put my daughter in any more trouble."

"Excuse me?!" Clarke exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing from the woman.  
"My family has a reputation to maintain and your son causing trouble to my daughter might jeopardize it."

"You got some nerve saying stuff like that, lady!" Clarke said trying to remain calm but it wasn't an easy task when someone was attacking your family "your daughter has been bothering my son since they were in the same class. I'm glad he stood up for himself and to be honest i could care less about your reputation. My son's education is what i'm worried about."

"Careful Ms Griffin, children get expelled from the silliest things these days." Mrs Frost threatened with a menacing tone, keeping a polite smile on her face to keep the appearence of a normal conversation happening between the two of them.

"Threaten me all you want, my son is going to stay in this school." Clarke concluded, boiling inside but keeping a straight face in spite of the want to punch the smirk out of the woman in front of her.

Clarke left without letting Nia Frost retaliate, she wouldn't want to make a scene in front of so many people and risk having Aden expelled because of her behavior. The blonde grabbed another glass of champagne and tried to put as much distance as she could between her and Nia.

"Clarke are you alright?" she heard a voice in front of her, Lincoln.

"Lincoln, hi! Yeah just some trouble with Frost, i had to go away or i would've punched her." she explained.

"What happened?" he asked, visibly worried.

"She basically threatened to have Aden expelled."

"She can't do that."

"I don't know... She's on the board."

"Mr Wallace would never do that, don't worry about that Clarke." Lincoln reassured her with a smile.

"Alright." Clarke nodded, the presence of Lincoln by her side was calming her down.

"So how was your day?" Lincoln asked, obviously trying to switch the subject.

"It was great, Octavia is amazing."

"I got lucky." Lincoln approved, he had that little spark in his eyes everytime Octavia was brought up in the conversation, Clarke nodded and it made her smile. She had not known them for long but she could tell these two were made for each other.

"You did." she answered absently, her eyes landed on her girlfriend who was a few meters away, turning her back to her.

"You did too, i hope you know that." Lincoln said in a suddenly serious tone bringing Clarke's stare back on him.

"I know." Clarke felt like it was his version of the "don't go breaking my friend's heart" speech.

"What were you two talking about?"

Clarke jumped when she heard Lexa's voice behind her, she had not seen the her coming over the table where Lincoln and her were at.

"You."

"Oh yeah? And what were you saying?" Lexa flirted.

"Okay..." Lincoln said, taking his glass and rose up his seat "i'm gonna leave you two alone and find my brother in law."

"Good luck finding him, he was talking with that lady you were talking about earlier, he's probably hiding somewhere." Lexa laughed.

"Then i'm gonna go find another glass." he shrugged before disappearing in the crowd.

"Who's that lady?" Clarke asked.

"A rich single mom who has her son in the school, she apparently really likes Bell but he's not into her at all. I heard she's quite persistent."

"I see. But i understand that woman, i mean, the teachers are pretty hot in this school."

"Oh are they now?"

"Have you seen Lincoln?!" Clarke exclaimed knowing that it wasn't what Lexa would expect her to say.

Lexa shook her head with a discreet smile.

"Are you having fun?"

"Not really..." Clarke admitted, the night had been quite boring, she would have love to be home with Lexa. "but i could."

Her girlfriend was looking at her with a very confused face and Clarke decided to get up and leave the table.

"Where are you going?" she heard Lexa asked as she left, Clarke hoped that Lexa would follow her.

Clarke opened the door leading to the restroom and waited a while in the corridor, pretending to be checking her phone when people passed by her. Not two minutes later the door she came through opened again and Lexa appeared.

"Took you long enough!" Clarke complained before gesturing another door to Lexa. "This is the way to your classroom isn't it?"

"Yes but..."

"Trust me." Clarke cut and walked in Lexa's classroom, followed closely by the teacher.

"Clarke we shouldn't be here." Lexa stated as soon as they were in the room.

But Clarke had some ideas on how to make Lexa change her mind. She walked to her with a determined look on her face and made her step back and stop when her back hit the desk.

"I thought you were adventurous, Ms Woods." Clarke whispered into Lexa's ear when she was done kissing all the way up her neck.

Her left hand had slipped under the edge of Lexa's dress and was carressing the flesh under it, the action earned a little gasp from Lexa. Clarke smirked, she could see the struggle inside Lexa's head, she had that little frown on her forehead that she had when she was trying to choose between different options. She knew that they shouldn't be doing any of that because it was Lexa's work place and all her colleagues were there. "We shouldn't be doing this." Clarke stopped when she realized that. She had let herself been taken over by the moment without thinking about the consequences her actions could have.

"I'm sorry i..." Clarke was about to apologize for what was about to happen but Lexa had make a decision and grabbed the front of Clarke's shirt, opening a few buttons when she pulled her in for a kiss to which Clarke quickly responded to.

"No hair touching babe, you always mess up my hair." Lexa warned after a heated kiss.

Clarke reluctantly put her hand back down with a grown and put it to good use : pulling up Lexa's dress, slowly.

"No teasing Clarke, we gotta be quick!" Lexa ordered, obviously annoyed by the slow pace Clarke was moving at.

"Alright then." Clarke answered and removed Lexa's panties, she wanted to tease her girlfriend but she was right they had to do it quick if they wanted to do it at all.

Free of her underwear, Lexa spread her legs for Clarke to get closer and the blonde didn't waste any time. Her hand found Lexa ready for her and Clarke got to work. A few minutes later Clarke could already feel that Lexa was nearly done but a noise in the background made Clarke slow down. She wanted to be sure that they were alone.

"Someone's coming!"

"Yes! Clarke don't stop!"

"No!" Clarke protested after a second, Lexa was obviously not aware that someone was approaching but Clarke had just heard footsteps and someone talking in the hallway.

She didn't figure out how many people were coming but it would be better if no one found them in the position they were in. She had stopped moving her hand and Lexa was now looking at her with a frown.

"What's going on?!"

"We gotta hide or something, someone is coming over here." Clarke explained quickly while she buttoned her shirt back up.

"Oh my God!" Lexa exclaimed in realization.

She jumped off of the desk and put her panties back up and pull her dress down. By God knows what luck, Lexa and Clarke both managed to get themselves presentable before the door of the, classroom opened on Cage Wallace.

"Mr Wallace... I was discussing some of Aden's work with Ms Griffin..." Lexa said with a perfect poker face, showing some papers on her desk.

Clarke could see that these were blank papers but Cage would surely not come to check what they were supposed to be looking at.

"In the dark?"

" _The dark?_ " thought Clarke. Yes they were still in the dark because none of them thought about putting the lights on when they entered the room. Only the light in the corridor was illuminating the room.

"I actually asked Ms Woods if we could have a talk in private, i'm sorry. I hope she won't get in any trouble for that." Clarke stepped in, trying to focus the conversation on something else than the obvious fact that the two women were in an empty room alone with no lights on.

"I see..." Cage replied with a very sceptical tone. "This wing of the building is supposed to be closed though so if you could follow me back to the party..."

"Of course." Clarke responded walking to Cage with Lexa right behind her.

Cage closed the door behind them and locked it before escorting them back to the room the gala was taking place in in an awkward silence.

"So much for the parent teacher relationship Clarke." whispered Lexa as soon as Cage had left them alone.

"I didn't hear you complain." Clarke retorted with a smirk.

"It was stupid, we shouldn't have done that. We're not teenagers anymore!"

"Hey, everything is fine, he didn't see anything." Clarke tried to calm Lexa down, patting her arm discreetly.

"How can you be sure?" Lexa bit her bottom lip anxiously before leaving.

Clarke didn't go after her, they weren't supposed to know each other that well after all. Lexa was right, they were supposed to be a parent and a teacher tonight, not girlfriends. Clarke blamed herself, yes she had been stupid and careless and she hoped that Lexa would forgive her to have put her job on the line for a quickie in an empty classroom.

" _Damn you're so stupid Clarke_ " she told herself.

Mr Wallace, the father this time, made his speech, Clarke didn't listen to one second of it, her thoughts focused on Lexa and the situation they were in.

*

Lexa left Clarke, not because she was mad at her but because Cage would surely find it weird that the two of them stayed that long together. This night had been a bad idea, to make sure that no one would find out that they were dating, Clarke or Lexa should have stayed at home or they could have avoided each other like the plague.

"Everything's alright with Clarke? I talked to her earlier and she was upset because of the ice queen." Lincoln appeared at Lexa's side.

"Guys, guys!" Bellamy appeared in front of them before Lexa had the time to answer Lincoln's question. "I was behind Cage earlier and guess what i heard! Two people have been caught having sex in a classroom somewhere!" he announced with a laugh.

Lexa chocked on her drink, no, this could not be happening.

"You okay Woods?" Bellamy inquired.

She nodded before asking : "Who was it? Did he say something else about it?"

"I didn't know you were into gossips" Bellamy shrugged. "Apparently two parents must have found the evening boring, they managed to find an empty classroom and get it on."

Lexa tried to hide the blush that was forming on her cheeks. She had to admit that she was relieved that Cage didn't see them. Clarke was right.

Bellamy went on with telling his friends more details about this misadventure. The story was actually pretty funny if it hadn't happened to you.

"Clarke! Come here!" Bellamy called when she walked next to them.

He obviously had a few glasses of champagne and didn't care who could hear him. Clarke approached shyly, not daring looking at Lexa. She was probably thinking that Lexa was mad at her. She wasn't. Lexa had just been angry at herself and worried about her job.

"So i just heard that two people have been caught having sex in a classroom somewhere" Bellamy announced and Lexa saw Clarke's eyes widen.

"We didn't!" Clarke defended

"What?!" Bellamy asked, confused.

"We didn't get caught. Not really."

"Oh my God..." Lexa facepalmed.

"I wasn't talking about you girls..." Bellamy said looking back and forth between the two women as Lincoln was trying not to cry of laughter.

"Lexa i didn't know..." Clarke started.

"It's okay Clarke, but i think we should go before your tongue slipped again."

Bellamy and Lincoln bursted into laughter and she could see Clarke biting her lip, trying not to laugh too.

"Okay bad choice of words. I'm going now, bye guys." Lexa said, leaving the three laughing behind her.

Before she could reach her car, Clarke caught up with her.

"Lexa wait! I'm sorry about what happened, you have every right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have jumped you like that. I don't want to jeopardize your work and our relationship."

"I'm not mad Clarke, not at you. I guess it's both our fault if we can't resist each other." Lexa shrugged with a smile telling Clarke that everything was fine between them. "You're coming over tonight?"

"If you want to."

"You started something earlier and you didn't finish."

"I definitely gotta do something about that then."

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes then?"

"You will." Clarke nodded eagerly and walked away to her own car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's tomorrow but happy new year to all of you anyway! I wish you all the best!  
> And thank you for reading the fic =)


	18. Chapter 18

Finn was texting his friend Nathan who asked him if he wanted to have a drink next week. He quickly reminded him that they were supposed to go to Clarke's new exhibition that night and the two men rescheduled their night out for the following weekend.

"Are you texting your bae, dad?" Aden asked, tugging on his dad's sleeve.

The little boy had come running back to his dad wanting to show him the little stone he found on the ground.

"My bae? No... Where did you hear that word son?"

Finn was a bit surprised about him using this work but who knows, kid these days...

"Auntie Raven said that mommy was texting her bae." Aden shrugged.

"Oh and who is that bae of hers?"

"Mommy said it's her friend."

"I see..."

_"Her friend..."_

So Clarke was dating someone and she didn't tell Finn about it. He decided that he was going to have a conversation with her on the subject the next time they would see each other. If she was serious about that person, Clarke had to talk to him because of Aden. Finn didn't want his son to be in contact with someone bad for him and his education. But maybe if Aden didn't know about Clarke's new boyfriend then they maybe weren't that serious after all, and Finn had nothing to worry about.

_"I guess we'll just have to wait and see"_ he thought turning his head to Aden.

"Look at what I found, dad!" showing him the stone and not wanting to talk more about that mysterious "bae".

"That's a very pretty stone!" he cheered at the stone his son was giving him. "What do you say about an ice cream buddy?" Finn proposed.

Aden would never say no to an ice cream, and they could use the opportunity to wash their hands at the ice cream shop after their little adventure in the park. Aden nodded with excitement and took the hand that his father was offering him. They took the direction of the ice cream shop after Aden had made sure that his dad had put the stone he found safely in his pocket. Finn smiled at his son, he had a full box of stones at home and everytime they went somewhere Aden found a way to bring a stone back with him.

  
*****

"I swear to God, if one more person calls me and asks to talk to Jordan Woods I will kill them!" Anya said, annoyed after she hand up her phone.

Lexa chuckled, going out of her room a towel around her head.

"Poor Anya!" she mocked.

"Seriously Lex! You don't know how many people call for Jordan Woods, they still don't get that it's not a person but two. I guess I should change the order of the names."

"Our parents would never agree to that, my friend."

Anya let out a desperate sigh as she threw herself on the couch.

"Clark, stop licking my face!" she cried a few seconds later "Go away, you big furry ball!"

The dog reluctantly got down off the couch and rejoined his master in the kitchen. Lexa pet the dog on his head.

"He loves you!"

"Is your girlfriend going to lick my face too if she likes me?"

"Shut up or you won't get any food."

"Alright alright."

Lexa saw Anya's hands raised in defeat above the back of the couch, and she smiled at the sight. She had missed her best friend and she was glad that Anya had found some free time to come see her and accompany her to Clarke's exhibition. Octavia, Bellamy and Lincoln would be there too so Anya would meet everybody new to her life.

"So hum...Costia asked me again if you wanted to see her." Anya announced after dinner while they were getting ready to leave for the gallery.

Costia. Lexa had seriously not thought about her. Clarke had told her that it was okay if she wanted to see her but Lexa forgot about it. After the gala she had been stressed out about work and her relationship with Clarke that could have been made public at school. Fortunately nothing bad happened and everything was alright.

"Yes."

"Really?" Anya asked with wide eyes. "To be honest I didn't think you would."

"I need some answers."

"Okay. Well I'll let her know." her best friend replied without asking further questions.

Lexa nodded and a few minutes later the two of them were in the car driving to the gallery. The teacher had texted Lincoln, Octavia and Bellamy and they all agreed to meet up before entering the party. They were already there when Lexa and Anya finally found a parking spot after driving around for about 10 minutes.

"HI guys! So Anya this is Octavia, Bellamy and Lincoln. Guys this is Anya."

"Nice to meet you!" they all said in unison before looking at each other with a smile.

"Lexa talked so much about you!" Octavia exclamed as she started leading the group toward the gallery.

"Not in too bad terms I hope."

"Well..."

"Octavia!" Lexa rolled her eyes at her.

"I'm joking!"

"Stop bickering girls, who has the invites?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't!" Bellamy said raising his hands.

"Me neither." Anya answered.

"Well Lexa I hope you have them coz I don't either."

"I... The invitations, of course."

Lexa patted her pockets looking for them, trying to think where she left them.

"Huh... I think I forgot them on the kitchen table."

"What?!" Bellamy in disbelief as Lincoln laughed quietly next to him.

"Well I don't think my badge will work to enter."

"It's okay, we must me on the list or something." Lexa said hoping that there was a list at all.

Her friends followed her to the door and the man at the entrance asked for their invitations.

"I forgot them at home, but I'm on the list I'm sure if you take a look..." Lexa pleaded with a smile that could surely get you everything.

"No one gave me a list, you have an invitation or not?"

"I do. At home."

"Well go back and take them or I can't let you in."

"We know the artist in person. She's a friend." Octavia tried but the man didn't seem to be wanting to let them in.

"I'm sure you do miss..."

"Hey Murphy what's wrong?" asked someone behind the man, Lexa knew that voice.

"Raven! Hey! He won't let us in because I forgot our invites." Lexa

"Let them in Murphy, they're friends." Raven appeared from behind the man who let them enter with a groan. "I told Clarke a hundred times that people can forget their invites so we should have a list but no, that girl is stubborn as hell."

Lexa had already been in the gallery before, but the place was so different this time around; packed with people and new paintings all around. It warmed her heart that so many people were here to see what her girlfriend had created.

"Thank you for letting us in, I'm Bellamy." the man thanked handing his hand to Raven.

"Raven."

"This is Octavia, Lincoln and Anya." Lexa presented the rest of them.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm sorry I gotta go, I'm on babysitting duty. I'll see you later." Raven said after shaking everyone's hand before disappearing in the crowd.

"Let's go see the paintings!" Octavia pulled Lincoln by the hand after her, she had been speaking about the exhibition all the time and she was excited to see it.

The rest of the group followed them and they spend quite a while walking in the gallery, commenting on the paintings. Lexa even managed to slip a few technical words that she learned from Clarke.

Anya and Lexa were having a drink at a table when someone called behind Lexa.

"Miss Jordan!"

"Oh no!" Anya cursed. "It's the client I've been talking to you about."

"The annoying one?"

"The very same."

"I see, do you want me to create a diversion so you can escape?"

"Nah it's okay, I can handle him for five minutes."

Lexa nodded and walked away with the intention of finding her girlfriend who she had not seen yet. She caught sight of Raven at the bar with Bellamy who was laughing at something that Raven had said, Lexa decided to wander a bit more before asking Raven where Clarke was. Near the entrance she finally found Clarke, she was wearing a gorgeous green dress and looked so happy. Aden was standing next to her, in a black tuxedo, he was so cute. Lexa smiled before taking a step toward them.

Lexa didn't reach them. She stopped in her tracks as Finn approached the two. He was handsome, his hair carefully tied and wearing the same tuxedo Aden was wearing. He gave a big hug and a kiss on Aden's head before taking Clarke in his arms. Lexa felt her heart tighten. Out of what? Jealousy? Maybe. They looked like a happy family and a family they were and Lexa wondered if she was ever going to have a part in it. She didn't want to replace Finn, the thought never even occurred to her, but she wanted to be a part of Clarke's family. Clarke and Finn shared a bright smile and Lexa saw Finn whisper a few words in Clarke's ear before they separated. Finn then took Aden by the hand and walked away.

Clarke had seen Lexa and walked to her, kissing her cheeks in greeting.

"Hey you!"

"Hey!" Lexa smiled, trying to hide her uneasiness behind it. "Your paintings are amazing, Clarke."

"Thanks." Clarke blushed.

"The last time I saw her, Octavia was totally fangirling over the fact that she's friends with the artist."

"I'm glad she liked the exhibition, she kept texting me about it this week. I think she may have been more nervous than me."

"I don't think that's possible. Need I remind you of the hundred calls that you forced me and Raven to make last week? To make sure that everything was ready."

"Shush."

They exchanged a quiet smile.

"Anya!" Lexa called her best friend who was passing by them. "This is Clarke."

"Hi Anya, I'm happy to finally meet the best friend I've heard so much about."

"Nice to meet you too Clarke. Lexa do you talk that much about me to everyone?! I'm going to think that you miss me when I'm not here." she teased Lexa before continuing "And Clarke your paintings are absolutely amazing. I just bought that painting of a tropical forest, it would look so good in my office!"

"Oh my God Anya, thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me.You've got a real talent Clarke. May I take a look at some of your older work; if that's okay with you? We have a lot of empty walls at the office."

"Of course, yes!"

Anya gave Clarke a gentle smile before excusing herself and leaving the two lovers together.

"Lexa! She's amazing! That means so much to me when people buy my paintings!"

"I know. I'm happy for you Clarke."

"Did you ask her to buy them?" Clarke asked suspicious.

"No. I swear I didn't."

"Alright. Well she seems very nice."

"She is."

"My parents are going to arrive soon. I'd like you to meet them. If you want to." Clarke quickly added.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea with Finn and Aden in the gallery."

"You're right..." Clarke admitted with a sad face. "I'll see you before you leave?"

"Yeah, we'll come say goodbye." Lexa assured before leaving.

Octavia found her a few seconds later.

"Lexa hey, why the sad face?" she asked her friend, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's nothing."

"I'm a cop, you can't lie to me."

Lexa sighed.

"Clarke wanted me to meet her parents but her ex and her son are in the gallery so we can't."

"Why?"

"They don't know about us."

"Ok that's weird. You've been dating for what...four months now. How do you feel about her not telling her son about you?" she asked, adding quickly "I mean if you're okay talking about that."

Lexa looked at Octavia, she should be used to her direct way of asking things by now.

"Well I'll wait until she's ready. I'm respecting her boundaries."

"What if it's a year? Are you gonna wait that long?!"

"It takes as long as it takes." she answered firmly, but not coldly, wishing for Octavia to drop the subject.

"You should tell her how you feel."

"She just wants to protect Aden."

"Protect her son or protect herself? Maybe she's not sure about you." Octavia warned. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Not now, okay?"

Octavia shrugged and left, leaving Lexa alone with her doubts about her relationship with Clarke.

_"Doesn't she trust me enough to meet Aden? Is she unsure or not serious about us? What if she doesn't like being with me as much as I do? Maybe I'm not enough for her?"_

She needed some air.

*****

Murphy closed the front door of the gallery and Clarke finally let out the breath she had been holding in all night. Everything unfolded alright. All the people she wanted to come had come and the art critics seemed to appreciate the paintings, but she would have to wait for the following day to see the reviews.

Overall she was happy. Aden had found it awesome, Lexa was there with her friends, her parents had loved it too, Finn, Raven and her other friends had all congratulated her on her work. Aden was with his grandparents and Finn it reminded Clarke that he wanted to talk to her. She approached them and her dad took her in his arms.

"It was fabulous baby."

"Thanks again dad. Finn can I talk to you?"

Finn nodded and followed Clarke a few meters away.

"You wanted to talk about something?" she asked.

"Yeah..." he started, brushing his hair in the weird way that Clarke recognized as him being not happy about something. "Aden told me about a "bae" that you have. You're dating someone?"

_"New Years Eve"_ she reminded herself, that was when Raven used that word when Clarke texted Lexa.

"I am."

"Clarke you should have told me!"

"Why?! It's not like you tell me about all the girls you see!" she retorted.

"I don't need you to tell me about all the guys you see either but you're dating a man and I have the right to know if he's going to be near my son."

He had a point, if Finn was dating someone and was serious about her, Clarke would want to know that person too.

"You're right. Yes that person will meet Aden one day or another."

"So you two are serious."

"Yeah."

"Who is that guy?"

"It's huh..." Clarke was hesitating, Finn didn't know that she was seeing women as well as men and she didn't know what his reaction would be. "It's a woman."

"What?!"

"I'm dating a woman."

"But you're not a lesbian, Clarke!"

"No you're right I'm not, I'm bisexual Finn." she tried to explain calmly.

"Have you been gay all this time and you didn't want to tell me? Is that why we broke up?!" Finn asked taking his head between his hands.

"Us breaking up had nothing to do with that, and you know it Finn." Clarke replied, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Aden and her parents were near them and she didn't want Aden to see that they were fighting once again.

"But...How? Why? I don't understand."

"I'm attracted to guys and girls. I don't see what's complicated about that."

"It's...Why didn't you tell me when we were together?"

"I didn't know! I thought about girls before being with you but I guess I never thought about my sexuality again when we were together. But after we broke up I had time to discover who I really was and explore that part of myself."

"Okay." he exhaled. "I'm sorry I'm just surprised I guess. You know I don't have problems with gay people...or bisexuals" he quickly said, obviously not wanting to offend Clarke.

"I know." Clarke replied, knowing that Finn's best friend was gay and she knew that he wasn't homophobic or biphobic.

"So you have a girlfriend."

"I do."

He nodded, visibly trying to get his mind around it.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Four months."

"Oh!" he exclaimed with surprise. "that's a pretty long time."

"I wanted to be sure about us before she meets everyone." Clarke admitted.

"I understand. So who is she? When can I meet her?"

"I need to talk to her but I guess you could meet her next week."

"Okay. Keep me posted."

"I will."

"Thank you."

Finn said goodbye to her and to Aden and Clarke's parents before leaving the gallery. Clarke took her phone out and typed a quick message to Lexa who seemed a bit tired when she had said her goodbyes before leaving.

**Clarke**  
**"Hey I told Finn that I was dating a woman. He took it pretty well. I told him that I would have to talk to you about it but maybe we could all meet next week?"**  
**"I hope you're okay, you seemed a bit tired at the end of the night."**

**Lexa**  
**"Next week is fine, I'm meeting with Costia this weekend though so maybe at the beginning of the week?"**  
**"Thanks I'm okay don't worry, just a bit tired, yeah."**

Clarke had frowned a little when she read Costia's name, Lexa didn't tell her about it but after all they didn't have a lot of time to talk this week.

**Clarke**  
**"Okay. Does Wednesday afternoon work for you? Aden will be at my parents' "**

**Lexa**  
**"Yes."**

**Clarke**  
**"Nice. Sleep well <3"**

**Lexa**  
**"Goodnight Clarke"**

Clarke didn't know what it was but she felt like something wasn't right with Lexa. She decided not to ask too much questions tonight. Maybe she was just tired herself.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again i wish you all the best for this new year!  
> May the force be with you guys! (Yeah i know wrong fandom but who cares =P)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!

Clarke turned in her bed, rolling over to take Lexa in her arms only to be met with cold sheets. The blonde opened her eyes and frowned before remembering that Lexa didn't sleep with her this week. She gripped the sheets tightly wanting her girlfriend to be here. Clarke sighed and took a look at her phone. It was pretty early, being used to wake up to drive Aden to school or to take her breakfast with Lexa and kiss her goodbye.

Lexa had been quite distant with her these last few days, ever since the night at the gallery actually and Clarke, who thought that it was just because of tiredness, was now thinking that maybe there was something else to it. She had tried to text her and call her but everytime Lexa had found a pretext to cut their conversations short. Clarke wondered if she had said something wrong or if maybe Lexa just needed some space.

_"Maybe she's just nervous about tomorrow."_ Clarke thought before trying to go back to sleep. After all it was still pretty early and she didn't have anything to do today.

Clarke woke up a few hours later, not having slept well. Although she had been single for a long time she missed Lexa's presence by her side. She was cranky this morning. After finally managing to get out of bed she went to take a shower which helped a bit with her grumpiness. It was already lunch time when she got out of it and she shook her head, knowing that she was pretty late compared to her usual schedule.

She decided to send a text to Lexa, needing to know what was going on with her before she met Finn and eventually Aden.

**Clarke :**  
**Hey Lexa i need to talk to you, it's pretty important. Can you meet me at the coffee shop near my gallery when you're done with work please?**

Lexa didn't respond right away and Clarke went to her gallery to do some paperwork while she waited anxiously for a text. It finally arrived, a little after 4pm.

**Lexa :**  
**I'll be there in 30.**  
**Is everything alright?**

**Clarke :**  
**Ok. I hope so.**

She was the first to arrive at the coffee shop they were supposed to meet. It was the place Clarke brought Lexa to for their first date, which was not a date if you listened to Lexa. The blonde smiled at the memory, waiting for her girlfriend to arrive, two cups of coffee in front of her.

Lexa entered the coffee shop a few minutes later, she must have come from the school without going home first because her school bag was slung over her shoulder. She raised her head from her phone to the people in the shop and noticed Clarke in a booth. Clarke waved at her with a smile and Lexa smiled back before walking toward her.

_"She seems happy, that's a good sign...i hope."_

As soon as she was next to Clarke, Lexa leaned toward Clarke to give her a quick hello kiss.

"Hi."

"Hi. How have you been?"

"Fine. A bit tired these days that's all." Lexa brushed it off, sitting in front of Clarke.

Clarke placed her hand on Lexa's one that was resting on the table. "I missed you last night." she admitted "I don't sleep that great when you're not with me."

"I missed you too." Lexa responded almost mechanically or maybe Clarke was just imagining things. "So what's going on?"

"I guess i should be the one asking you that." she began hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Lexa asked with a frown.

"Well i just feel like there's something wrong like there's something you're not telling me." Clarke said, encouraging Lexa to talk to her.

"I guess i'm just a bit nervous about meeting Finn." Lexa shrugged.

"To be honest i am too. Who knows how he's going to react to me dating our son's teacher."

"It's gonna be okay Clarke. We can wait if you want to."

"No, i'm ready."

Lexa nodded, she drank her coffee quickly, to Clarke's surprise.

"I can't stay for long, i gotta meet Lincoln. We're running." she explained after a small silence, starting to stand up.

"Please Lexa don't do that!" Clarke pleaded, catching Lexa's hand before she could go any further.

"Do what?"

"Run away from me." She paused, waiting for Lexa to sit back down. "I know something's wrong and i need you to be honest with me and tell me what it is."

"I don't want to fight with you, the last time i fought with someone i was in a relationship with it didn't end well."

"Lexa i'm not Costia" Clarke put her hand on Lexa's cheek "Please tell me what's wrong. At first i thought it was because of Finn but now i can see that there's something else."

"It's not Finn, Clarke. I just... We've been dating for four months and i thought that you trusted me and that we were serious about our relationship, but seeing you with Finn and Aden the other day at the gallery and then Octavia finding it weird that i had not met your son i just felt like maybe we were not at the same point in our relationship. It's stupid now, you want me to meet him but that's why i was a bit distant this week, i was hurt i guess."

The revelation hit Clarke. Of course she was hurt. How could she have not thought about it before, she had been so focused on her exhibition lately that it hadn't even crossed her mind. But Clarke had to take care of Aden first, she thought that Lexa understood this.

"Lexa...i'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. All i ever did was to protect Aden."

"I know Clarke, i was stupid, i'm sorry. I know that you said you would always put Aden first and i understand that. I just don't want to lose you Clarke. I didn't want to bother you with my doubts and fears."

"No please Lexa, you had every right to feel what you felt. I'm sorry i didn't take your feelings into consideration. Of course i want you te meet Aden, you're a part of my life and i want you to become a bigger one, to really be part of my family, not having to hide or just see you every two weeks. I want you to be fully in my life alright? Being with someone... things aren't always going to be easy, we have things to work on but i...i believe in us.

Lexa smiled at her and Clarke could even see some tears pearling in the corner of her eyes. In the end the only thing that Lexa needed from Clarke was reassurance. Clarke moved to sit next to Lexa in the booth.

"Please if you ever feel like that again, tell me though. We can't work through our problems if we don't talk."

Lexa nodded before repeating "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that, we're okay Lexa." Clarke assured, taking her girlfriend's head in her hands, stroking her cheeks.

Lexa placed her forehead against Clarke's and squeezed her hands in hers. Clarke quickly gave Lexa a little peck on the lips and when she opened her eyes back, they were met with Lexa's smile. It warmed her heart to see that.

"So are you really going to run with Lincoln or was it just an excuse to leave?" Clarke asked jokingly.

Lexa chuckled "No we were really supposed to run. But it's okay i'll tell him that i can't make it today."

"No it's fine, you have to train. I can come to your place after you're done."

"Or i could come to yours." Lexa suggested.

"What about Clark?"

"I'll give a call to Bellamy and drop him off at his place. It won't be a problem."

"Okay then."

"It will make a change, we always spend our time at my place because of my dog. Not that i complain."

"I don't complain either but i get what you mean."

Thinking about it, they had only spent one date night at Clarke's and now that Lexa was going to meet Aden they would surely spend more time there than at Lexa's appartment; so it was a good idea for Lexa to become familiar with the place like Clarke was with Lexa's.

"I better go if i want to be back in time for dinner."

"Go. I'll make dinner." Clarke said, standing up with Lexa to let her leave the booth.

"I'll see you in a few hours." Lexa kissed Clarke quickly and left with a big smile on her face.

Clarke left a few minutes later, taking time to finish her coffee, she was glad they got everything they needed to out.

  
*

Someone knocked at the door, Lexa had texted her about twenty minutes ago saying that she was leaving her place so it would surely be her outside.

"The door is open!" Clarke yelled from the kitchen and a second later she heard the door open and close.

Clarke had just finished making dinner so Lexa was right on time.

"It smells amazing." Lexa whispered in Clarke's ear, embracing her from behind.

"Thanks." she said, taking a look at what Lexa had put on the counter next to them.

It was a chocolate box, the same one that Lexa had bought for her on their second, yes second, date.

"I'm sorry for being distant with you instead of simply talking to you. I won't do that again." Lexa murmured next to Clarke's ear as she hold her close to her body.

"Thank you."

Lexa couldn't see it but Clarke had a small smile on her face, happy that Lexa was going to talk to her more in the future.

Clarke leaned back into Lexa, enjoying the feeling of her body against hers. Soon, Clarke's hair was being moved away from her neck and she shivered when she felt Lexa's hot breath against her skin. The brunette kissed her neck with slow and soft kisses until Clarke tilted her head in the opposite direction to leave more space for her.

Clarke put her left hand in Lexa's hair, encouraging her to continue. They were still wet from the shower she had probably taken before she came here. Lexa's grip tightened against her and soon she was flushed against the counter of the kitchen. A small groan left Clarke's lips when her body touched it which only made Lexa more eager as she began sucking on Clarke's skin.

A few seconds or minutes later, Clarke couldn't have said which, Clarke turned around and kissed Lexa. Her tongue sliding slowly on Lexa's bottom lip before she met Lexa's. Lexa's hands travelled from Clarke's back to her butt then the back of her thighs. Clarke understood what Lexa was going for, she held on to her and wrapped her legs aroung Lexa as she was lifted up on the counter.

"Lexa!" Clarke called.

"Yes?" she answered, lips swollen by the fervering kisses they had been sharing.

"Dinner."

Lexa removed her hands from Clarke's back and put them either side of her on the counter.

"You wanna have dinner right now?" she asked with an amused smile.

"No no!" Clarke shook her head trying to get her mind out of the intoxicating feeling Lexa was giving her and remember what she wanted to say. "I didn't have time to turn off the gas stove!"

Lexa turned away for a second, turning it off and coming back so fast that Clarke could've wondered if she had superpowers if her mind wasn't so focused on her burning desire for her. Clarke attacked her lips hungrily and Lexa moaned into her mouth. She was aching to be touched and Lexa must have read her mind because she felt her sweatshirt being pulled over her head leaving her topless and her sweatshirt on the floor.

She had put herself at ease, she was at home and finally free of her bra she had put on a hoodie before making dinner for them. Lexa seemed pretty happy about that seeing how quickly she her interest went from Clarke's mouth to her breasts.

"You're so beautiful baby." Lexa admired, leaving her nipple for a while to kiss Clarke.

"Please Lexa!" Clarke begged, she really needed Lexa to touchr her.

Her girlfriend finally put her hands on the elastic band of her shorts and underwear and removed them at an agonizingly slow pace. When Clarke was freed of her panties though, her butt came in contact with the ice cold counter of her kitchen and she couldn't keep the strangled cry to get off of it out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Lexa asked, stopping her descent on Clarke's body.

"The counter is freezing cold." Clarke explained with a giggle.

Lexa laughed with her and picked up Clarke's hoodie that she had previously thrown on the ground and put it under her lover with a little help from the blonde.

"Here you go."

Clarke thanked her with a kiss and now that she wasn't resting on a block of ice she could enjoy the moment fully. With a renewed vigor she attacked Lexa's lips and slipped her hand under the waistband of Lexa's sweatpants and underwear.

Lexa gasped in her mouth, surprised by the sudden feeling of Clarke touching her but Clarke could tell that she was exactly where Lexa wanted her. Lexa moved past the surprise and mimicked Clarke, two fingers entering her as they tried to coordinate their rythm with each other.

They stopped kissing, the feeling was beginning to be too much, they were panting in each other's mouth. Clarke came first, followed a few seconds later by Lexa who would have collapsed on the floor if Clarke had not been holding her close to her by the waist. Lexa let her head rest on Clarke's shoulder as she tried to catch her breath.

Clarke heard a loud noise and Lexa laughed in her neck as Clarke was trying to figure out what it was. Then the noise came again, louder this time. Lexa's stomach was rumbling. Clarke joined Lexa in her laughing.

"Someone's hungry." she commented, amused.

"I am." Lexa admitted, facing Clarke with a smile.

Lexa helped Clarke down the counter and after a quick shower they were back in the kitchen to finally eat.

*

After dinner Clarke sat on the couch, Lexa's legs on hers as the brunette was laying.

Clarke had left for two minutes and when she came back she found Lexa still laying on the couch but this time she was sleeping. Clarke smiled and wondered for a second if she should wake Lexa up. She decided not to. She grabbed one of her sketchbooks and sat silently in the armchair leaving the tv on as background noise. Clarke took a piece of charcoil and started drawing her girlfriend. Lexa looked so peaceful and at ease, her curls flowing freely on her shoulders. Clarke tried to capture her features as best as she could and she completely lost track of time.

Clarke didn't have a favorite thing to draw or paint, sure all her exposed works were of nature and buildings but she likes doing portraits just as much. She asked herself for a moment why she didn't have any portraits in her exhibitions but in the end she didn't get an answer, she may have found an idea for her new exhibition.

She saw Lexa strech out from the corner of her eyes and when she looked up Lexa was looking at her with sleepy eyes.

"I feel asleep." Lexa realized, rubbing her eyes.

"You did." Clarke smiled.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked while she sat up slowly.

"I didn't want to, you looked exhausted."

"I still am. These latest runs with Lincoln kicked my ass." Lexa answered, putting her head between her hands.

Clarke frowned, Lexa really looked tired and she was wondering if she wasn't pushing herself too far. Clarke stood up and put her sketchbook on the coffee table and handed her hand to Lexa.

"Let's go to bed."

Lexa nodded before taking Clarke's hand. She stopped when she saw what Clarke had put down on the table. She took the sketchbook in her hand and looked at it in awe.

"You were drawing me!"

"It's not finished yet..." Clarke began shyly, it was the first time she had drawn Lexa and she was a bit nervous about what her girlfriend would think of it. It was pretty stupid seeing how Lexa liked her other artwork, but she couldn't help it.

"It's beautiful." Lexa complimented.

"I had a great model." Clarke shrugged, happy that Lexa loved the drawing. "You can keep it when it's finished."

"I'd like to."

Lexa closed the gap between her lips and Clarke's, thanking her with a soft kiss. She put the drawing back on the table and they took the direction of Clarke's bedroom.

They changed into their pyjamas and quickly Lexa climbed on her side of the bed with a loud yawn. Clarke joined her a few second later and moved close to Lexa. She put her arm around her girlfriend, spooning her. Her lips placing a goodnight kiss on the back of Lexa's neck she fell asleep with the comforting scent and warmth of Lexa in her arms.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone! I'm glad you liked chap19 =)

Lexa was usually the first one awake in the morning. But for once she wasn't. Clarke's head was resting on her left hand, facing Lexa's back, she had been tracing lines without patterns on the part of Lexa's arm that was not covered by the t-shirt she wore to sleep. It was one of Clarke's old Arkadia university shirts, still tainted by indelible traces of ink or maybe paint on a few spots, she loved seeing her girlfriend in it.

She had been up for some time now and Clarke decided to check the time, it had been nice to watch her sleep peacefully but she didn't want Lexa to be late for work. It was time. Clarke rolled back behind Lexa and placed a soft kiss on her arm. She heard a change in Lexa's breathing a few kisses later.

_"She was really tired."_ Clarke thought as she moved away a bit, _"maybe i should talk to her about taking a little break from training."_

Lexa turned to Clarke, greeting her with a sloppy kiss on the corner of the mouth.

"Hi." Lexa croaked, her eyes still half closed.

"You slept well?" Clarke inquired, putting a few strays of hair behind Lexa's ear.

"I wish i could've sleep all day, but yes i did."

Clarke saw this as an opportunity to express her concerns about Lexa's health.

"Maybe you should lay off a bit on the running." she suggested "These last few days you've seemed exhausted."

"Did i seem exhausted last night?" Lexa replied smugly before Clarke rolled her eyes at her.

"Judging by the fact that you were sleeping heavily after dinner, i'd say yes."

"I was talking about that other thing we did last night." she whispered while slowly approaching Clarke's neck.

"Lexa!" she warned as she felt a few kisses being placed on her skin.

Lexa pulled back and came to face Clarke.

"I'm fine baby i promise, i've been tired yes. I just need a bit more sleep that's all really." she assured.

"And if you feel too tired don't run, okay?"

"I won't." Lexa assured in a serious tone as Clarke nodded, satisfied by her girlfriend's answer.

Lexa waited a second to lean back in but Clarke suddenly removed herself from behind the covers and left the bed.

"Okay well no more funny business for you this morning or you're gonna be late for work!" Clarke exclaimed walking to the door to go make breakfast while Lexa sighed loudly, her arms spreadeagled on the bed and clearly not happy about having to go to work.

"Nooooo!" Lexa whined.

"Come on, don't be a baby!" Clarke yelled from the kitchen and received only a groan in response.

Clarke chuckled, Lexa reminded her of Aden when he didn't want to go to school. He always wore his grumpy frown until they reached the school.

"I guess being a teacher does not mean you like to spend your days at school either." Clarke said to herself.

A few minutes later, Clarke had prepared breakfast and Lexa arrived in the kitchen, showered and dressed, ready for work but still clearly not wanting to go.

*

Lexa arrived at work right on time, thanks to Clarke. She wouldn't have awoken for a few hours if Clarke had let her sleep. If she was totally honest she didn't know if she was feeling tired of if it was just the stress of this week.

Meeting Finn was something big. Of course she already knew him but introducing herself to her girlfriend's ex boyfriend and father of her child was pretty important, but Lexa couldn't help but wonder about how it would go. Clarke and Lexa had not talked a lot about their respective relationships before each other, yes Lexa had talked about Costia to Clarke and Clarke had talked about Finn a bit but it's not the same as knowing someone and knowing a person's reaction, their behavior... Lexa was mainly concerned about that and it may have had influenced her sleep a bit. Nothing to worry about though.

Lexa took a quick glance at her students to see if everyone was doing their work and she stopped at Aden and she had a discrete smile. He was frowning down at his paper, in the same manner that Clarke always did when she was concentrating on her paintings or other things. It was cute and Lexa could not wait to be a part of this little boy's life either, he was such a gentle and kind child. Lexa knew they had a few things in common, well sport at least, he seemed to have inherited his mother's talent for art, something that Lexa was very bad at.

The "do you like children?" question had not needed to be asked by Clarke, Lexa had obviously been interested in her and she knew very well that Clarke was Aden's mom. And no she didn't date Clarke because had a child. Clarke had been something she had not expected to find, at least not that quickly, when she decided to move to Arkadia. But she was glad they had found each other.

Lexa was pulled out of her daydreams by the school bell that rang loudly in the hallway. The children quickly and loudly gathered their papers.

"Leave your tests on your desks, i'll take them." Lexa ordered before they got up and left the room to go play outside.

She stood up to gather the papers and was walking back toward her desk when she heard a knock on the classroom door. It was Cage. It surprised Lexa that he had the decency of knocking today.

"Cage." she greeted trying to sound at least a bit happy to see him.

"Good morning Lexa. Have you finished looking at these papers i gave you?" he asked, walking toward her desk too.

"I did. I don't see how i'm supposed to plan any activities for my class next year though, that's a pretty big cut from the budget we had this year." she stated.

Lexa had read the file this morning between thoughts about Clarke, Finn and Aden and she didn't understand how a school who seemed to have way enough money for all the classes to have plenty of activities during the year would only grant sixty percent of the amount of money they had this year.

"Plans change, we have to adapt." Cage shrugged, brushing the problem off.

"Maybe i should go ask Mr Wallace to see if i could be granted a bigger budget, i know i'm not the only teacher who had a smaller one for next year." Lexa suggested calmly, Dante would at least listen to what she had to say, she knew that.

"I'm in charge of the budget, my father has no say in this." he replied firmly.

"I'm sure the parents of the children want their kids to experience different things, learn things. The activities are a nice change for them, another way to teach. Your father would probably agree with me."

"I'm sure you'll find another way to teach the kids what you want them to learn. It's your job."

"My job is to give these children the best education i can give them, i think this contributes dearly. When Mr Wallace recruited me he told me that all the teachers had the same budget and we were free to do what we pleased with it. Now you're telling me that it's changed for some of us? I don't think your friend Emerson had the same cut." Lexa accused, she was getting angry.

"Lexa i'm sure you would like your fling or whatever is going on with the blond kid's mother to continue. I'm not certain that his child being expelled because of you would do quite well in that department." he threatened with a very creepy smile.

Lexa's heart seemed to have skipped a bit at the mention of Clarke but she tried to keep her poker face on, not flinching a bit.

_"Of course he knows."_ she told herself.

She wasn't mad at Clarke for what happened in the classroom during the gala, they were adults and it was both their responsibility.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lexa tried to play it dumb, it was worth a shot.

"Alright then, i'm not sure what i saw either, could've just been a talk between a parent and a teacher...did you sign the budget?" Cage wanted to blackmail her.

Lexa could not just think about herself here, she wanted to tell him to go shove it and go talk to Dante Wallace but it would probably have consequences on Aden. He didn't deserve to pay for Lexa's actions. She could always try to manage with the budget for next year, sure it would have to be less activities than this year and it did not please her.

She took the file that was opened in front of her and reluctantly signed the paper. Cage took it with his smug smile on his face.

"I see we came to an agreement. It's nice to see that i have your support."

"You'll have nothing from me."

"Careful Lexa." Cage warned as he left the room.

Lexa turned to her desk and slammed her palms on the desk.

"Shit!" she exclaimed before looking at the door to see if someone was nearby but thankfully no one had heard her.

Cage was going to be a new problem for her, and Lexa thought about not telling Clarke about it for a while, not to worry her, but she remembered Clarke's words and she was right, they were two, they were in this together. Now that Lexa had signed the paper he pretty much had the confirmation that something was going on between her and Clarke.

_"How could i be so stupid and sign that!"_ she shook her head biting bottom lip.

  
*

Clarke had spent her day at the gallery, preparing the paintings that Anya had bought during her last exhibition. Earlier in the week that Anya had reminded Lexa to ask Clarke about older paintings from her and Clarke put together a few photos of the paintings that were put away in her workshop. She had selected a few pieces that shared the same spirit as the one she already had.

After that she went to the school to pick up Lexa, a few blocks away from it so that they would probably not be seen together.

"I guess it's better if you sit there." Clarke said, pointing the place next to the window when they found a place to stay in the packed coffee shop they were in.

"Are you afraid he's going to hit me or something?" Lexa asked with a smile as she sat where Clarke had told her to.

"No no he's not like that." Clarke assured but she didn't have the opportunity to continue because Finn was there.

"Let's do this." she said to herself and Lexa like she was looking for a bit of courage somewhere.

"I can't believe this!" Finn exclaimed as soon as he reached their table looking at them with wide eyes.

"Finn, please sit so we can talk."

He did as commanded and sat there in silence, putting his cup of coffee in front of him. He didn't seem happy, not at all.

"Mr Collins i..." Lexa began.

"Do you do that with every single parent that has a child in your class or something?!"

"Finn stop it." Clarke said before Lexa could answer, Finn attacking her girlfriend right away wasn't a very good sign.

"She's Aden's teacher for fuck's sake Clarke, what were you thinking?" he asked in disbelief.

"I know that she is! I didn't want it to happen..." Clarke began before turning to Lexa, afraid that her words would be misinterpreted.

"We both thought about it a lot on our side before taking the plunge." Lexa explained. "I know that my status as a teacher put us in a delicate position but i can assure you that Clarke and I have no intention of making our relation public at the school as long as Aden is in my class."

"It's unprofessional." Finn stated.

"There are no rules forbidding us to date." Lexa observed calmly.

"Moral rules maybe?" Finn retorted.

He didn't raise his voice, but Clarke knew that passive aggressive tone he always used when the fought.

"I'm dating our son's teacher, so what? What's the problem Finn?" she cut harshly.

"What if you two break up and she treats Aden differently?"

"That's a HUGE what if Finn, we don't know what's gonna happen." Clarke replied.

"I don't want Aden to get hurt."

"I don't want that either."

"I can promise you Mr Collins that i won't do anything to hurt either of them." Lexa assured and Clarke was hoping that Finn would see the sincerity in Lexa's tone.

"How can you know that? Have you seen the future?"

Lexa was speechless at Finn's stubbornness and she opened her mouth to speak but Clarke cut in.

"Finn stop being ridiculous, it's like not wanting to get in a car because you could have a car accident. No we don't know what the future holds for us, but what if nothing bad happens? I want to take the chance with Lexa." Clarke said firmly and she felt Lexa squeezing her thigh under the table like a discrete confirmation that she also felt like their relationship wasn't just a fling but something more.

Finn was biting his bottom lip, unsure of what to say or maybe think about all this.

"Look if you're serious about this i won't get in the way of Aden meeting you as Clarke's girlfriend, but i don't approve."

"Is it because she's a woman?" annoyingly asked Clarke.

"Please Clarke, you know it has nothing to do with that!" Finn protested.

_"Okay maybe that was unfair"_ Clarke thought, after all he didn't have any problem with her dating a woman when she told him. "Sorry." she apologize quickly.

"Look" began Lexa calmly "school will be over in a few months, i'm not going to be Aden's teacher for long."

"Then why don't we wait until the end of the school for you to meet Aden?"

Clarke saw the frown pass on Lexa's face, it was subtle but the way her brows arched didn't lie.

"No Finn." Clarke shook her head. "It's too long. I want Lexa to meet Aden as my girlfriend and you have to accept that."

Finn sighed.

"Alright." he finally said after a long and silent pause from all three of them.

"Really?" Clarke asked, wondering if maybe he wanted something in exchange for his concession.

"Yeah really. I don't know you Miss Woods but being a teacher and seeing the way Aden talks about you... he likes you as a teacher so maybe it won't be too hard for him to like you outside of school."

"Thank you, and you can call me Lexa."

He nodded.

"You're going to tell him this week?"

"I don't want to impose myself to Clarke or Aden. It's up to Clarke." Lexa answered.

"I don't know, we'll go with the flow i guess." the blonde added a bit hesitantly, glancing at Lexa who gave her an approving nod. "We wanted to talk to you beforehand."

"Thank you for that." Finn took a sip of his coffee. "I just wanted to make something clear about all this. Clarke and i are Aden's parents and it will not be your place to scold him or make decision about his education."

"Finn..." Clarke started, feeling like Finn was attacking Lexa a bit.

"No it's okay Clarke." Lexa cut, patting Clarke's thigh to calm her down. "I do understand that, i don't have any authority outside of school."

"She's not going to replace you in any way, Finn" Clarke reassured him, she knew that when the two broke up he had been scared that Clarke would ask for full custody over Aden but it was never Clarke's intention. Sure they had had their fair share of arguments but they didn't hate each other. Aden was their son and nothing would ever change that.

Finn nodded, understanding where Clarke was going with that.   
  
"I should probably go, i have to go back to work soon." he finished his coffee before putting his cup on the table. "Thank you for telling me about this." he thanked, gesturing between them.

"Thank you for being okay with it."

"I trust you Clarke." Finn concluded before standing up. "I have to go now. Have a good day."

He quickly shook Lexa's hand before kissing Clarke's cheeks and leaving the shop. Next to her, Clarke heard Lexa breathe deeply.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah i was just a bit nervous about how the meeting would go. It was not that bad."

Clarke nodded, she had been pretty stressed out too but now that Finn was fine with it, she was happy that Aden and Lexa would finally meet each other.

"I have something to talk to you about though, Clarke." Lexa said with a somber face, turning to Clarke.

Clarke took a deep breath, something was definitely wrong; Lexa had probably hid it behind her stressed out mask during their talk with Finn but now she could tell it by seeing Lexa's face. However Clarke was hoping that the news wasn't as bad as Lexa was apparently making it to be.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn i'm so sorry i'm the worst... Hopefully next chapter will come sooner than this one. I hope you'll like it

"What is it?" Clarke asked with a concerned voice.

"You remember Cage Wallace, the teacher who found us at the gala." Lexa started.

"Yeah i do. He knows doesn't he?" Clarke quickly understood.

"Yes."

"What happened? Did he tell you something about it?" Clarke worriedly inquired.

"He gave me the budget for next year at the beginning of the week. I read the papers but it appears that me and some other teachers got a pretty big cut in our budget. So when Cage came back for the file i shared my worries with him about not being able to do as many activities and everything with my class next year. He refused to hear my concerns so i told him i would talk to the principal to see if he would be able to do something about it, i didn't want to get angry with Cage. Bellamy and Lincoln have told me a story about the teacher that was here before me and well i didn't want to get fired." she explained quickly.

Clarke was listening attentively to what Lexa was saying, nodding from time to time. Lexa continued her story without interruptions.

"When i mentioned his dad he started threatening me about you and Aden so i signed the paper..."

"You shouldn't have..." Clarke began.

"Cage wanted to get Aden expelled, Clarke. He has nothing to do with any of this."

"But you're putting your job on the line because of us..." Clarke said, putting her head in her hands.

"Hey, hey." Lexa called calmly, removing Clarke's hands from her face. "I'm not. I signed the budget, Cage has what he wanted. He will leave us alone and i will manage to do what i can with the money i will have."

"I'm sorry you have to go through that because of me. Being threatened at your workplace is not normal."

"We'll be okay." she tried to reassure Clarke.

"Why don't i go talk to the principal, maybe he would listen to a parent concerned about her child's education." Clarke suggested.

"No. He would know we are dating..."

"...And we don't know how he would react and you could lose your job" Clarke finished Lexa's sentence as the brunette nodded. "I hate this!"

Lexa took Clarke's hand in her and squeezed it to comfort her. The blonde gave her a little smile before continuing :

"What about Bellamy and Lincoln? Are they in trouble with Cage too?"

"To be honest i don't know, i didn't see them today, i was busy." Lexa confessed. "I'll talk to them maybe we can manage to to something about Cage without involving you or Aden."

The two decided to go back to Clarke's gallery which was closer than her apartment. The pair were trying to keep the Cage problem out of their minds during the time they spent at the gallery but Lexa, who was correcting her students tests couldn't help but think of her talk with Cage. The guys had told her to be careful with him and they were right. Lexa was just hoping that the situation would not evolve in a worse way.

Lexa finally put her pen on the pile of papers she had in front of her and let out a deep sigh, correcting copies didn't usually took her that much time. She stretched out on the chair and turned to Clarke who was writing Anya's address on a package.

"I'm done, do you need any help with that?"

"Nope i'm done too. I finally finished packing Anya's paintings. I put the photos of the other collections with it."

Clarke explained, walking towards Lexa to ultimately sit on her lap, her arms around Lexa's neck.

"She's gonna love them." Lexa complimented, circling Clarke's waist with her arms. "She's been expecting them like a child waiting for her Christmas presents. Lexa how are the paintings coming up? Don't tell Clarke i'm asking about it she must be really busy!"

Clarke chuckled at Lexa's impersonation of Anya.

"Well you can tell her that the package will leave tomorrow for Polis."

"Or you could tell her yourself, we were supposed to call each other later today." Lexa explained.

"Alright." Clarke nodded. "Why don't we go home? It's pretty late anyway and i'm hungry."

Lexa smiled at the cute face Clarke was making and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Let's go then."

Clarke left a small peck on Lexa's lips before jumping off of her lap.

*****

"Yes Anya they should be arrive this week at your office." Lexa heard Clarke say to the phone while she was cooking.

"No don't worry it was no trouble at all." Clarke assured Anya, and Lexa rolled her eyes with a smile, mocking her best friend without her knowing.

Clarke and Anya's conversation turned out to be longer than expected and ended with the two women exchanging numbers because "at least Lexa won't have to relay our messages anymore."

"We just have to let it cook for about half an hour now. I'm just gonna go take a quick shower, okay?" Clarke whispered to Lexa after she gave the phone to her.

Lexa nodded and Clarke kissed her cheek before leaving the room.

"Lex?! You're not listening to me!" Anya complained vehemently.

"I'm here Anya! Sorry!" She apologized, leaving the kitchen too to sit on the couch.

"I was just saying that your girlfriend is amazing!"

"I know."

"You're lucky."

"Yes." Lexa confirmed. "So hum about my meeting with Costia..."

"She asked if it was okay if i gave you her number" Anya cut "She reckons it would be easier to make plans and cancel if needed."

"Yeah sure i guess."

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit. It's gonna be weird to see her again."

"Yeah i bet... How does Clarke feels about you seeing Costia?"

"She has no problem with it."

"Great. So what's new? You're leaving together now or something? Every time i'm talking to you you're with her."

"Is that a reproach?"

"What?! No! I'm just asking Lexa!"

"I'm just messing with you. And no we're not leaving together. Well i don't know, maybe? When her son isn't home we spend a lot of time together...Oh i met Aden's father by the way."

"Oh. How did that go?"

"Fine i guess, he's okay with me meeting Aden."

"That's great Lexa!"

"Yeah, i'm pretty nervous about it but we'll see when it happens." Lexa shrugged.

"What about work? Everything's fine?"

"Damn Anya you're getting older, i swear i think i dialed the wrong number and i'm calling my mom."

"Shut up!"

Lexa chuckled before saying :

"Actually i got into some problems with another teacher, the principal's son. He knows that me and Clarke are dating and he threatened to get Clarke's son expelled if i didn't sign his budget."

"What?! Lexa tell me you didn't sign his paper!"

"I did."

"You could have stood up against him Lexa, it doesn't seem like you to just let it go."

"I'm not alone anymore Anya, i have other people to think about now. Aden doesn't deserve to be thrown in the middle of this."

Lexa felt a presence in the room and when she turned her head she saw Clarke leaning against the wall, just out of the shower, her hair wrapped in a towel. Clarke was smiling at her, but that look in her eyes...Lexa wasn't sure what it was but she felt suddenly overwhelmed. It wasn't desire, it wasn't even happiness it was something else. Lexa dared thinking that maybe it was love.

"You're right." Anya said after a few seconds, just the time Lexa needed to snap out of the intense look she and Clarke were sharing. "Look i gotta go, i'm gonna text you Costia's number. Tell me how it goes."

"Will do. Bye Anya."

"Bye."

Lexa nearly didn't have time to put her phone next to her on the couch before Clarke's lips came crashing onto hers. It took her some time to register what was happening : Clarke was straddling her and kissing her feverishly.

"What was that?" Lexa asked completely out of breath, her lips swollen by Clarke's kiss and still recovering from this kiss attack.

"I just heard what you said about me and Aden and i...thank you." Clarke answered, visibly moved by what Lexa had said.

She put her forehead on Lexa's who had finally recovered. Lexa wrapped her arms around Clarke, putting her closer. None of them were speaking, the only sounds coming from the room were their steady breathing. Lexa looked into those bright blue eyes looking back at her and for a moment nothing else mattered. She felt her heart racing just thinking about the person in front of her. Then she realized : _"I love her."_

This feeling of her heart on the verge of bursting through her rib-cage as if it wasn't big enough to contain it, the butterflies flying in every direction. This feeling she had not felt since her heart had been broken into pieces more than a year ago and there she was, the one who put it back together without her even knowing. She had fallen, hard and fast, for Clarke.

Lexa braced herself to say it, she opened her mouth trying to get some air in her lungs while looking at her in awe, but then a little music interrupted the moment between the two, it was Lexa's phone. The screen illuminated and Lexa saw that Anya had send her a text.

_"Damn Anya, you couldn't have chosen a better time..."_ Lexa thought, cursing her friend mentally when Clarke stood up and told Lexa it was time for dinner.

*****

Lexa was early, waiting anxiously with a coffee cup in her hands. She was sitting at the table outside, glad that the sun was finally arriving in Arkadia in this beginning of March. Costia was late, "as usual" Lexa told herself. There are just some things that never change.

A familiar voice got Lexa out of her thoughts. Costia was there, she sat at the table slowly with a shy smile. "Hey Lexa."

"Hello Costia." Lexa simply responded, it was so strange to see Costia in front of her. She took a few seconds to look at Costia, she had not changed a lot except her hair which was way longer than she ever had it.

"You look good." Costia complimented Lexa, looking like she didn't know where to start.

"Thanks..."

"How have you been?"

Lexa wondered if she should confront Costia about what she did to her but she wasn't here to fight, she was here because she wanted answers.

"I'm great. New city, new friends...you know." Lexa shrugged, the conversation was awkward.

"I'm glad you're doing better now."

"No thanks to you." she answered coldly, not being able to hold herself back in the end.

"Lexa..."

"Maybe it was a bad idea to see each other." Lexa said, beginning to gather her stuff on the table to leave.

The feelings that Lexa had buried far deep in her heart were coming back up, all that pain and anger was resurfacing and she didn't know if she could keep it inside.

"No please Lexa stay. I need to talk to you."

"Fine."

"I'm sorry. For what i've done to you. I didn't know what was going on with us and i needed space, that's why i left."

"You should have told me that before, not just leave me without a word. I deserved better than that, Costia. We were together for nine years and you just...You gave up on us."

"I didn't want to hurt you..."

"But you did."

"I know." Costia replied calmly, it surprised Lexa how calm she was, usually when they fought Costia was the aggressive one.

"Why didn't you try to get in touch with me after you left?"

"I tried to."

_8 Months Ago_

_Costia stood outside the apartment’s door wondering if she should maybe knock at it or just enter, she still had the key after all. The key to the place she lived in with Lexa. She left her four months ago, she had needed time to think, she couldn't be with her at the time._

_Costia had left a letter to her sister explaining what happened before leaving the country. She had taken on a job on the other side of the globe and for a while being away helped. Away from Lexa, Anya and their families, she could not see them and let them know that she left, not now. She didn't want to see the sad looks on their parents' faces._

_She had plenty of time to think about what she wanted and what she did. Lexa was the love of her life she knew that and she would do anything for her. She felt guilty about not seeing earlier that Lexa wasn't happy. Costia had clearly not been the best girlfriend the last few months but she wanted to change that. Of course they would still need to talk about the children but she was convinced that they could find a common ground and be happy again. It was with a new found determination that Costia came back to Polis at the end of the summer._

_Now she stood there in front of the door, her heart beating fast in her own hears. She was anxious about what she was going to find behind that door. She felt ashamed of the way she left and wasn't sure that Lexa was going to forgive her but she needed to try. Finally she decided to open it._

_"Lexa." she called shyly with no response._

_Costia put her bags on the floor and walked into the apartment. In the living room she noticed that a few books and dvds were missing from the shelves but she didn't worry about that, maybe Lexa had decided to throw away or sell some of them. Costia reached the bedroom thinking that her girlfriend may be taking a nap but the bed was made and the place looked weirdly empty, no book on Lexa's nightstand. Her heart broke as she opened the closet to find only her clothes and none of Lexa's. She was gone._

_Costia had talked to Anya during her time away but Anya had not mentioned anything about Lexa moving out... She drove to her sister's house then Lexa's parents hoping to find Lexa but they told her that Lexa had moved out of Polis. She decided not to follow her..._

"...when i understood that you didn't wait for me."

"I didn't wait for you?! Are you kidding me?! I waited for four months! Four months and no word from you Costia!" Lexa nearly yelled, maybe meeting in a public place wasn't such a good idea after all. The people next to them threw a weird look at Lexa and she apologized silently to them.

"I know Lexa! I'm not blaming you for leaving, it wasn't what i meant. I'm just sorry, i didn't do it the right way, i should have told you i needed to be alone to think about us, i should have come back earlier..."

"Yes you should have." but now it was too late for that. Lexa was not going to think about what could have been now that she had Clarke and was happy with her. Clarke. The thought of her helped Lexa calm herself. She decided that she was going to listen to what Costia had to say and try to understand her point of view, instead of only responding angrily to everything.

"I never wanted you to blame yourself for the fact that it didn't work between us. It was my fault."

"It was neither of our fault i guess." Lexa admitted, and she saw that look of hope in Costia that maybe she could be forgiven. "You know i don't think that ultimately the problem between us was children. We just grew apart."

"I'm sorry that i never felt the same way as you about children. I'm sorry i wasn't enough." Costia said nearly in a whisper and Lexa could see the pain in her eyes.

"Please don't say that. Don't ever think that you were not enough. We just were two people who were not looking for the same thing in our relationship."

"You're right."

"I hope you find someone good." Lexa said to Costia sincerely.

"Have you?"

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"Costia..."

"I know, sorry." Costia apologized. "Do you think that maybe one day we could be friends again?"

"Maybe." Lexa shrugged, not knowing if it was even possible seeing how hard it had been for them to have a ten-minute conversation already.

Costia left a few seconds later, saying goodbye to Lexa and telling her that she would be present for her mother's birthday if Lexa was okay with it. Lexa agreed, their families had always been close after all and her parents loved Costia.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I'm sorry it took so long again =/  
> I just wanted to thank all of you guys who are still reading this even if i'm the worst at update  
> I hope you'll like it =)

"Well well well, what did we have here?" Raven asked, appearing out of nowhere, she sat on the chair occupied by Costia not a minute ago.

"Raven?! Hi. What are you doing here?" Lexa greeted Clarke's best friend, it was definitely a surprise to see her here.

"The real question is what were YOU doing here with that girl? I hope you're not seeing someone else or i swear to God..."

"Raven stop! It was my ex-girlfriend, Clarke knew about our meeting."

"Oh...I see, i guess that was why she seemed kinda off the last few days." Raven mumbled that last part, Lexa nearly missed it. Nearly.

"What?" Lexa asked, she had been with Clarke this week and never she noticed that she had a problem with Lexa meeting Costia.

"Nothing. So why did you two break up? She's hot."

"God Raven..." Lexa complained, rolling her eyes at her.

"What! It's the truth!" Raven defended herself with wide hand gestures.

"I know but..."

"Ah! So you admit it! That you're still attracted to her!" she accused faking seriousness.

"Raven!" Lexa interrupted the other woman , she was started to get annoyed by her questions and suppositions.

"I'm just kidding dude. Chill! Alright so why did you break up?"

"You're quite persistant."

"When i want something i get it."

Lexa sighed, seemed like Raven was not going to let it go anyway.

"We weren't on the same page, for our future together, that's all." Lexa shrugged, not really knowing if she should get into details or even if she wanted to.

"You proposed and she said no?" Raven guessed holding her hand up for the waiter to see her.

"Not quite." she stopped when the waiter stopped next to their table, waiting for Raven to tell him what she wanted.

"I'll have another Irish Coffee, what about you?" she asked Lexa, implying that their conversation may not be over.

"I'll have a coffee, thank you." Lexa answered, maybe learning about Clarke's bestfriend and spending a bit of time with her couldn't hurt, plus she had nowhere to be this afternoon.

"So what happened?" Raven asked after the waiter left to prepare their drinks.

"We talked about children" Lexa confessed "She didn't see herself has a mother. We had a fight. She left. Broke my heart."

"So you wanted children, and Clarke has a child..."

"What are you saying?"

"Are you gonna play house with them and leave to make your own family or something?"

"What the hell?! What is wrong with you?! I'm not with Clarke because of Aden, that's sick! For the last time Raven i'm not here to hurt them. I don't like your insinuations. Sure you don't know me that much but i care for Clarke, a lot. And fine you can make me explode or whatever if i ever hurt any of them but you need to stop that. I know you're her best friend and you want to protect her and Aden but please...trust me."

"Well you haven't done anything wrong yet so...i think i may be a little overprotective of them."

"You think?" Lexa joked, trying to ease the tension. It seemed to work when Raven gave her a faint smile.

"You should let your girlfriend know how it went, she was a bit tense because of it." Raven confessed this time and Lexa quickly typed a text message to Clarke.

**Lexa :**   
**"Hey babe, i just finished my meeting with Costia. It went okay."**   
**"Look who ran into me."**

Lexa snapped a quick picture of Raven to send to Clarke and put her phone back on the table. She redirected the conversation on Raven. "So what were you doing here in the first place?"

"I had a date." she answered, trying to brush it off.

"How did it go?"

"He's a guy with whom i slept a few times and he asked me on a date but...well i don't know if being in a relationship is really what i want..."

"No one is forcing you to do it if that's not what you want."

"I know, i know, it's just... I don't wanna be alone for the rest of my life." Raven confessed with a sad look.

Lexa really didn't know what to answer but she felt for Raven. She could understand the loneliness Raven was feeling, Lexa as lucky to have found Clarke. Raven was kind of making her think of Anya, drowning in her work and not taking time for herself.

Raven cleared her throat, feeling like the conversation had take an awkward turn. "Anyway, hum... So Clarke told me that you were gonna meet Aden soon."

"Well...huh. We talked about it but i mean... We don't have a definite plan or anything. I... I'm kinda nervous about it to be honest."

"No shit." Raven laughed at Lexa's fidgeting on her sit. "Who knew a teacher could be afraid of a child."

"I just..." Lexa shrugged, not finishing her sentence. "I don't want him to feel weird because his mother is dating his teacher you know."

"I don't think he's going to mind. Sure it will be a new dynamic i guess but you being his teacher won't be a problem. Oh wait! You met Finn, did he say something bad about you being the teacher?"

"Well he wasn't really happy about it but..."

"I knew it! Look don't see too much into it. He's just nervous about someone new being around his son."

"Yeah that i know."

"He'll get over it. And don't worry, the little lion will like you, he's a good boy. You're his favorite teacher, i'm sure he'll be happy to see you more."

"If you say so." Lexa nodded, still a bit anxious.

"Trust me. I know the little man." Raven winked, taking a sip of her drink. Her look was a sad for a second and she asked with a shy smile. "Hey can i ask you something?"

"Well you've asked me plenty of personnal stuff so i guess one more question is okay." Lexa joked, trying to ease the sudden tension in Raven. "Go on."

"What convinced you to see your ex? I mean she hurt you and still you agreed to see her, why?"

Lexa felt like they weren't really talking about Costia and her anymore but she didn't ask more questions and answered sincerely : "After Costia left i was heartbroken and left with so many questions about what happened. She hurt me, sure, but i needed to get my answers. If i agreed to meet her it was for me. Not because i felt like i owed her something. Sometimes facing the things that hurt you can help you move forward i guess."

Raven nodded, not saying anything, she seemed lost deep in her thoughts, that same sadness still present in her eyes.

"Raven are you okay?" Lexa inquired with worry in her voice.

"Of course i am!" she exclaimed, trying to give her a fake smile but Lexa could see right through her.

"You're the worst liar i've ever met." Lexa replied, shaking her head.

Raven looked her in the eyes, bitting her bottom lip anxiously. "Do you have a car?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Can you drive me somewhere?"

"Sure." Lexa agreed before calling the waiter.

They left the coffee in silence, Lexa didn't want to interrupt Raven's thoughts. If she wanted to talk, the other woman would. She checked her phone but no news from Clarke yet, maybe her girlfriend was busy with Aden.

"Where are we going?" Lexa finally asked when they sat in the car.

Raven searched for something in the pocket of her vest and pulled out a creased envelope. She took the letter that was in it, in some places the ink had been practically erased, by tears Lexa supposed before turning her eyes from the letter and looking up to Raven.

Raven told her the adress and Lexa put it in her Gps before she turned the engine on. The drive felt pretty long and tense, the radio filled the heavy silence of the car but it was all. Lexa could see Raven's leg shake with nervousness, her distress worried her and she wondered if maybe she should call Clarke.

They arrived maybe twenty minutes later. Lexa parked her car in front of a small house outside or Arkadia.

"Were here." Lexa announced.

Raven nodded but did not move so Lexa waited.

"Okay." Raven said absent-mindedly, to herself or to Lexa, Lexa didn't know.

"Look Raven, i don't know who's in there but no one is forcing you to go."

"I'll explain. After. I don't know how long i'll be in here." she warned Lexa.

"Don't worry, i'll be there when you come back." she tried to reassure Raven even if she wasn't reassured herself but she gave her a supportive smile before Raven got out of the car.

Raven thanked her and closed the door. She walked slowly to the door of the house and knocked a few times before someone opened. Lexa couldn't see clearly from where she was but she figured out that it was a woman who opened. Raven entered the house a few seconds later, leaving Lexa in her car waiting nervously for her.

Lexa pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that Clarke had still not answered her texts. It wasn't about the texts or Costia anymore but about Raven so she tried to call her. She didn't pick up.

She threw her phone on the passenger seat and tried to calm down. This whole story with Raven was stressing her out and she felt like maybe she shouldn't have let her go in and see whoever was in there. And now Clarke wasn't here to help her, she didn't know what to do.

*****

As soon as the door opened on her mother, Raven felt weird. The woman who was standing in front of her looked different than what Raven remembered. She looked more alive. She hadn't seen her in more than five years but Raven could tell she had not had a drink for a while. It was one of the first times, maybe the first actually, that she was seeing her sober. For a second Raven's thoughts travelled to a alternative reality where her mother wasn't an alcoholic and she felt her heart hurt.

"You look well mother." Raven complimented when the door closed behind her.

"Thank you. Look at you!" her mother exclaimed, approaching her hands to her daughter's face.

Raven took a step back though, the last time her mother touched her cheeks it wasn't for a gentle carress. Her mother understood and let her hands fall against her body with a sad look.

"I'm glad you decided to come."

"I'm sorry, i probably should have wrote to you or called beforehand."

"It's okay. Please have a seat." her mother said as they entered the living room.

Raven sat on the couch

"I made some tea, do you want any?"

"Sure."

She waited in silence as her mother left for the kitchen. Raven looked around her, it was a nice house, nothing like the place they lived in when Raven was younger. It was clean and tidy, asbent of many empty bottles which were part of the usual decor of their old house's interior. Once again the melancholy of the childhood she could have had hit her hard.

Her mother came back, two cups of tea in her hands. Raven thanked her before taking a sip.

"How are you doing Raven? Any boyfriend? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm doing alright. I work for the NASA, you know building space rockets and all that jazz."

"You've always liked space." her mother answered with a smile "I remember that little toy rocket i bought you for your 8th birthday. You liked it so much."

Raven remembered that toy, it was always her favorite, until one day her mother smashed it on the ground after throwing it at her head because she didn't tell her where she had hid her last bottle of alcohol. That part her mother must have forgotten. Raven didn't comment on it, she wasn't here to reopen old wounds.

"I'm proud of you."

At that statement, Raven didn't know what to respond. She couldn't say she was happy about it, she just didn't really care what she thought about her life now. She had never been interested in it before.

"So hum..." Raven cleared her throat "What made you decide to go into rehab?"

"A few months ago i was wasted and i fell. I broke my leg. There was no one to help me call an ambulance but i managed to do so and i was send into the hospital. They told me i had to stop drinking if i wanted my leg to heal properly. The nurse who was taking care of me asked me if i had any family that i wanted to call and i thought of you but i didn't know how to reach you...That's when i realized that i had lost you. I had no one. So i decided to go on with the rehab to try to get better for me but also for you. I never meant to hurt you Raven."

The cup in Raven's hands was shaking and she tried to regain a bit of composure before she finally spoke up.

"But you did hurt me. All these years mother... All the rehabs can't change that."

"I know and i am sorry." Her mother calmly responded.

Raven didn't want to talk about it : "Do you have people to help you in case...?"

"In case i want to drink?" she finished for her. "Yes, i made friends in recovery. And the AA meetings help too. I'm really trying, Raven."

Her mother went on, telling her about her difficulties to stop drinking, withdrawal and her cure. Raven listened with attention. She could see the efforts her mother had made and where she was now.

She explained to Raven that she began drinking after her father left and she had not known how to take care of Raven alone. She was devastated and depressed, alcohol made her forgot about him for a while but every time she needed more and more to forget until she forgot Raven too... They usually didn't talk about her father, Raven didn't even know him but hearing that story didn't make her want to find out who it was either. They had no one else, no family but him and still he left.

The minutes passed, maybe hours and by the time they drank three cups of tea, Raven saw that it was getting late and she realized she had not thought once about Lexa who kindly agreed to drive her here and to wait for her. Raven decided that it was time for her to leave.

"Thank you for coming."

"I'm glad you're better now." Raven said sincerely to her mother.

"Will you come again soon?" she asked, nearly pleading her daughter with her eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Raven and her mother exchanged phone numbers just in case they decided to meet again and she opened the door, looking at her mother one more time.

"Goodbye mother."

"Goodbye Raven."

*****

Lexa waited, a few times she nearly got out of the car and went to the door to knock on it but she didn't. Whatever was going on in this house, Raven had decided to face it and it was her decision. She grew frustrated with Clarke but could understand that her girlfriend was busy.

She looked at her phone, Raven had been in there for an hour and a half now, it was starting to get dark outside and her angry stomach made her realize that it was already dinner time. Thankfully for Lexa, the door opened and she saw Raven close it behind her.

"Thank you for waiting."

"Yeah." she smiled at her. "Everything's okay?"

"I think so." Raven nodded. "I'm so hungry. Do you wanna get dinner?"

"Yes." Lexa answered, trying not to sound too excited at the thought of food.

She drove back to the city and this time the drive didn't seem that long. Raven didn't say much about what happened or who she went to see but Lexa felt like Raven had just lifted a huge weight off her chest. When they finally sat at the burger place Lexa dared ask :

"So can i ask you what happened?"

"I went to see my mother. You could say we were never really close..." Raven said bitting into her burger. "She's always been closer to her bottles."

"I'm sorry Raven..." Lexa began.

"It's fine. She went to rehab a few months ago and she wrote me a letter asking if i wanted to meet."

_"Probably the letter she had in the car."_ Lexa thought.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if it would hurt me and i didn't want to hurt the Griffins."

"Clarke's family?"

"They're more my family than my mother ever was." Raven confessed. "Clarke's mother is so protective of me, i didn't want to make her feel like i was choosing my birth mother over her or anything."

Lexa hummed in understanding as she took another bite of her cheeseburger letting Raven continue.

"Clarke is going to be so mad at me because i didn't talk to her about all this."

"Well it feels to me like it was a sudden impulse that pushed you to do it." Lexa observed.

"Yeah your whole "facing the things that hurt you can help you move forward" speech kinda made me decide that i wanted to do it."

"How did it go?" Lexa asked, figuring that if Raven took the right to ask her personnal stuff she could too, they had taken a new step in their _"friendship? Yeah we're friends"_ Lexa thought.

"Okay i guess." Raven shrugged with a small pout. "I made myself clear that i was glad she's getting better but what happened when i was younger...she can't change that and how i feel about it. She was fine with that, she was so different. I've never seen her like this. It made me think about what could have happened if she had never drank."

"Thinking about what could have been never do anything but hurt." Lexa told Raven, knowing what she was talking about.

"You're right."

"So what now? Are you going to see her again?"

"I don't know. Maybe... If it can help her heal but that's all. I'm not sure i want her in my life after everything."

"Yeah." Lexa nodded softly.

"I'm sorry i was an ass earlier," Raven apologized, changing the subject "i just want to look out for my family."

"I'm glad you're here for them." Lexa smiled at Raven, she could see how much she cared for Clarke and Aden and it warmed her heart.

Thinking about Clarke, Lexa took her phone out hoping for an answer.

"No response from Clarke?" Raven asked, a little worried too when Lexa shook her head no.

"I think i'm just gonna drop by after dinner. See if everything's okay."

"Yeah. Well we're done if you wanna go." Raven said, taking her wallet out to pay the bill, she put enough to pay the entire dinner. "Don't say anything you drove me to my mother's house, i get you dinner, that's how i roll."

"Alright, alright." Lexa raised her hands in defeat before standing up.

"Thank you for everything." Raven whispered sincerely as she took Lexa in her arms.

It surprised Lexa but she quickly returned the embrace before Raven took a step back.

"Text me when you know something."

"Will do. Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah don't worry about me, i have plans in the city tonight."

"Alright then. Call me if you need anything."

"Sure thing. See ya Woods."

"Bye Reyes."

Lexa waved as she left and walked back to her car, happy that her and Raven got closer today. Clarke would surely be pleased about that too.

*****

Clarke opened the door, Lexa was waiting behind it, a weird expression on her face. Clarke sighed, she knew what was happening.

"So that's it..." Clarke snorted, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Clarke i'm sorry."

"No it's fine, i should have known that meeting your ex to talk about unfinished business would lead to something like that."

"You don't understand...I owe it to her to try again. We've been together for 9 years."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she snarled.

Clarke was trying to keep the tears away, she didn't want to cry in front of the woman who was breaking her heart.

"I never meant to hurt you." Lexa apologized with her sad puppy eyes but Clarke was seeing red.

"Well you did. Just leave!"

"Clarke..." Lexa called, trying to reach for her but Clarke pushed her hands away not wanting to be in contact with the other woman anymore.

"Save it! I never want to see you again!" Clarke yelled at Lexa, shuting the door in her face before the tears began falling on her cheeks.

She let herself fall against the door, and she cried until there were no more tears left to shed. Clarke was drained, physically and emotionally. She had thought that what she was building with Lexa was worth something but she had been wrong. So wrong.

How could Lexa have done that to her? Clarke didn't understand.

"Mom! Mom!" Clarke heard a voice far away calling her. "Mom!"

Clarke finally understood what was happening, she had fallen asleep and Aden was shaking her to wake her up. The couch was so comfortable and after a day waiting for Lexa to text, call or really anything she had drifted off while watching tv. Just a little time to chase the awful thing that happened in her nightmare she turned to her son, wondering why he had woke her up.

"What is it baby?" she asked, taking his little face in her hands.

"Someone is knocking at the door."

Clarke took a look at the time, it was pretty late, who could that be.

"Go get ready for bed i'll be there in a few minutes okay?"

Aden nodded and left for his bedroom. Clarke looked around for her phone before going to the door. Her phone screen didn't light up, the battery was flat.

_"No wonder no one called or texted me today."_

She opened the door, Lexa was waiting outside, a worried look on her face.

"Clarke! I was worried!"

"I'm sorry i just noticed my phone was dead. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. How was your meeting with Costia?" she asked, remembering the nightmare she just had.

"It was good." Lexa shrugged and Clarke must have made a weird face because a second later Lexa reassured "Oh no not like that! I meant that we talked about what happened, i understand a little bit better why she did what she did but it doesn't change anything. She broke my heart Clarke, i never thought that i could let someone else in after that but you came in my life and... you did"

Clarke nodded, relieved and happy to see that she had nothing to worry about when it came to Lexa.

"I'm sorry i didn't want to interrupt anything by the way. I just wanted to let you know."

"Do you want to enter? I'm just about to put Aden to bed."

"No it's okay. I don't want to force anything with Aden and i'm not sure it's the best time for all this."

"Alright." Lexa was right, plus Aden was going to bed soon and announcing something like that to him in the middle of nothing would feel weird for everybody.

"I'll see you Sunday?"

"Yes of course."

"Okay." Lexa answered with a smile, giving her girlfriend a small peck on the lips. "Bye. I love you." She said leaving quickly and left Clarke gaping at the door.

*

Lexa closed the door of her car and sat in the driving seat, not starting her car yet. She tried to remember her conversation with Clarke. Did she really said that she loved Clarke? She replayed the scene in her head a few times and yes she did.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed, hiding her head in her hands.

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's really been a while, i'm sorry about that. Life got in the way =/  
> Anyway i hope you'll like it guys!

**Lexa :**  
**"Clarke is okay, her phone was dead."**  
**"I may have say something to her..."**

**Raven :**  
**"What did you do??????"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Nothing bad i think."**

**Raven :**  
**"You think?!"**

**Lexa :**  
**"I told her i love her."**

**Raven :**  
**"Oooh! Things are getting serious now aren’t they!"**

**Lexa :**  
**"Raven!"**

**Raven :**  
**"What? You love her. That's obvious so i don't see how that could be a bad thing."**

**Lexa :**  
**"I'm not saying it is."**

**Raven :**  
**"Then what's the problem?"**

**Lexa :**  
**"What if she doesn't love me?"**

**Raven :**  
**"Omg...please stop being stupid. Go to sleep."**

*****

Clarke closed the door, she wanted to go after Lexa and tell her she loved her too but the other woman must have already been in her car and on her way to her apartment by now. Lexa's words had put Clarke into total shock and she had not been able to react before Lexa left. To be honest with herself, she knew she was in love in Lexa for a while now, she was just waiting for the right moment to tell her, not knowing if the other woman felt the same way she did. She just wished she had told Lexa first.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment you fell in love with someone, but for Clarke the moment that made her realize that she loved Lexa was the day she heard her talk with Anya on the phone. When she said she wasn't alone anymore and that she had other people to think about. It had meant so much for Clarke that Lexa thought of the consequences her actions could have for her but also for Aden.

"Aden" Clarke thought of her son and walked to his room, he was in bed, still awake waiting for his mom to tuck him in.

"Mom!" he said with excitement.

"Hey baby." She sat on the bed next to him, stroking his cheek lovingly.

"Who was at the door?"

For a second she thought about lying but what good would it do? She wanted to talk to Aden about Lexa. Right now would be as good as any other moment to do it.

"Do you remember at Christmas went Raven said i was talking with my bae?"

He scrunched his nose for a bit trying to remember before he nodded "Yes. Your friend."

"Yes. Actually she's not just a friend, she's...my girlfriend." Clarke let out with a breath, she was already stressed out about telling Aden that she was dating someone but she hoped that he wouldn't be confused about that someone being a woman.

"Like dad's friend? He has a boyfriend too!" said Aden referring to Nathan Miller, Finn's best friend.

"Yes exactly." she paused after that, waiting to see if Aden had questions.

"Okay." he shrugged, apparently not caring if she was dating a woman.

"Okay. You're the most important person for me Aden, and i love her very much as well, so i would like you two to meet if that's okay with you."

"Is she nice?"

"Yes she's very nice." Clarke chuckled at her son's question.

"Okay then." he agreed, yawning loudly.

Clarke smiled, happy that Aden seemed fine with it and kissed him on the forehead before pulling the covers up.

"Thank you. Sleep well Aden."

He mumbled something, his eyes already closed, and Clarke left the room silently.

*****

"Hey Lexa" Lincoln greeted, pulling the woman into his arms in a welcoming hug.

"Hey you. How was your weekend?"

"Lonely. Octavia has been working all the time lately. We don't see each other that much...When i come back home i just have time to say hello and she's off to work. It sucks. I mean she's working her ass off to get that promotion and if she gets it we'll have the same work hours so it would be better for us." he said with a sadness in his voice.

"I'm sure she'll get the job, she's a great cop." Lexa tried to reassure her friend.

"Yeah" Lincoln shrugged, then started to warm up. "What about you, did you see Clarke?"

"Actually yes. For like 2 minutes and i told her i love her."

"Oh! How did she react?"

"She didn't."

"Oh man i'm sorry Lex..." he comforted.

"No it wasn't like that." she explained "i kissed her and i left saying bye i love you. I didn't realize i’d said it before i was in my car."

"Accidental i love you? Did you actually mean it or was it like mechanical?"

"I meant it. I love her. I just wished i said it in another situation. It kinda sucked. And now i'm just wondering if she feels the same way. Her best friend says i have nothing to worry about but you know... She hasn't told me anything yet so i don't know. I don't want her to feel forced to say it back either."

"I bet she feels the same way. Every time i saw you two together you look so happy."

"I am."

"Then don't stress about it. She loves you too."

She nodded and finished her warm up with her friend. The both of them then started their running session, Lexa felt like they were going faster than usual, and she quickly felt like she had no more strength. She slowed down and Lincoln noticed, he waited for her and asked her if she needed a break.

"I'm fine i just need to slow down a bit."

"Alright. We can stop if you need too though."

Lexa didn't have time to answer. Her vision darkened and she felt herself fall on the ground, the far sound of Lincoln's voice in the background. She wasn't sure what happened then but she regained her consciousness totally and noticed she was in Lincoln's arms.

"Lexa can you hear me? Are you ok? Lexa?"

"I hear you. What happened?" she asked, feeling a bit groggy like she'd been woken abruptly in the middle of her sleep.

"You fainted. You were out for like 30 seconds but you scared me. I'm gonna drive you to the hospital."

"No need. I'm fine."

"Uh uh, you're not. I'm driving you there." He said in a tone that didn't leave place for argument.

Lincoln lifted Lexa in his arms and carried her to his car, ignoring the protestations of the woman. A few minutes later they reached the hospital and headed to the emergency room. They didn't wait long and they were put in a room, waiting for the doctor to arrive.

"Good afternoon, I'm doctor Griffin." greeted a woman in a white coat with a file in her hands. "So tell me what happened."

_"Doctor Griffin?"_ Lexa thought. _"Is she Clarke's mom?"_ Lincoln's voice interrupted her thoughts and she focused back on the conversation.

"We were running. We're training for the marathon. And in the middle of it she fainted."

"Was she unconscious for awhile?"

"For about 30 seconds yes."

The doctor nodded and wrote something on the file.

"Do you have any previous family history with any illness?"

"No." Lexa answered this time.

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Are you taking any medicine?"

"No."

"Alright. I'll need your boyfriend to step out of the room while i examine you, Miss Woods."

"He's not my boyfriend." Lexa quickly rectified as Lincoln started walking toward the door.

"Nope. And i'm actually gonna go call your girlfriend before she kills us both for not telling her you're here." He announced, taking Lexa's phone before closing the door behind him.

"Sorry i just assumed he was your boyfriend. I should know better, my daughter is dating a woman." the doctor apologized, taking her stethoscope from around her neck.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Lexa brushed it off.

_"Her daughter is dating a woman. She's doctor Griffin. Now i'm practically sure that she's Clarke's mother."_ She wondered if she should say something but what would she say? _"I think i'm dating your daughter."_ Lexa decided not to say anything and to let the woman do her job.

"Have you felt more tired than usual?" the doctor asked, continuing her exam.

"I did but i didn't see much in it. My girlfriend told me i should rest if i felt too weak, i guess i should have listened to her"

"Wise girlfriend that you have here." Dr Griffin noted "Alright, you're okay from what i got. We're just gonna doa little cardio exam just to be sure and you'll be good to go. I'll give you some food supplements to take and no work this week, just rest."

Lexa wanted to groan, missing a week of work because she was tired was ridiculous in her opinion but she nodded to the doctor, no point arguing about it.

  
*****

Clarke was still in her studio, finishing packing up one of her paintings. She was glad that this exhibition seemed to have been more successful than any of her other works before. She didn't have time to focus on another project yet but it didn't matter : her paintings were selling well, she had her family and Lexa and quite frankly she had not felt this happy in a long time.

Clarke thought about what Lexa said to her the other day and she felt a warmth grow in her heart. So when Lexa called her in this late Sunday afternoon she was excited, knowing that she was supposed to meet her in a few.

"Hey you! i was gonna call you!" Clarke answered immediately when she saw Lexa's name on her phone.

"Clarke..."

"Lincoln?! Why are you calling from Lexa's phone?" she wondered, sensing that something was wrong.

"Clarke we're at the hospital. Lexa..."

"Is she okay?" Clarke interrupted worryingly.

"Yes. Yes she..."

“In which hospital are you?”

“Arkadia MC.”

"I'm coming right away." Clarke cut and ran toward her car keys.

"Okay. We'll wait for you." Lincoln said before Clarke ended the call.

She quickly got in her car and drove to the hospital. She was there in less than twenty minutes thanks to the fluid traffic that day. Clarke rushed to the emergency desk, seeing a few familiar faces there.

"Clarke! I didn't know we had plans. Did i forget something?" her mother asked, confused by Clarke's sudden arrival.

"No no mom. Lexa, she's at the hospital."

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yes. Can you tell me where she is Jackson, please?" she asked the guy behind the desk.

They had known each other for years now, they met in med school and as Clarke quit and went to art school he kept working and was know her mother's intern. She knew her mom would be a great mentor for Jackson.

"What's her name Clarke?"

"Lexa Woods."

"Woods?" her mother asked.

"Yes. Mom do you know something?"

"I treated her. She's fine, just exhausted. She needs rest, lots of it."

"She's been training for the marathon, she looked tired these last few days..."

"That's what she told me. Follow me i'll take you to her and you can finally introduce us." She said, starting walking. "She's very nice, and very pretty too."

"I know." Clarke nodded.

"I didn't know she was your girlfriend, you should've introduced us before..."

"Mom!" Clarke sighed, before her mother could complain about not knowing about everything that was happening in her life. "We didn't have the occasion, but it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Abby nodded silently and knocked on the door in front of them. Clarke heard Lexa's voice telling them to enter and Abby opened it. Lexa was sitting on the bed, looking pale. Lincoln was next to the bed, sitting in the chair.

"Clarke!" Lexa exclaimed with a little smile.

Clarke nearly ran to embrace Lexa, she took her in her arms, glad to see she was okay. She took Lexa's head in her hands.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, dummy."

"I'm sorry." Lexa apologized and Clarke gave her a peck on the forehead.

"Thanks for calling me, Lincoln."

"Of course." he smiled kindly. "I should probably go, Octavia is gonna be home soon." He put his hand on Lexa's shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "Take care of yourself partner."

"I will. Thank you Linc."

Lincoln said goodbye to everyone before leaving Clarke with Lexa...and her mom who showed her presence with a small cough. Clarke had forgot she was here with them, too happy to see that Lexa's condition was not that bad.

"Is there something wrong with me, doctor?" Lexa asked with a concerned face, not sure as to why the doctor was still in the room.

"Oh no don't worry about that." Abby reassured glancing at her daughter.

"Lexa this is my mom, Abby. Mom this is my girlfriend, Lexa." Clarke introduced them, reluctantly taking a little step away from Lexa.

"Oh! Well i wasn't sure if it was you, i mean i kinda figured it out but...anyway nice to meet you Mrs Griffin." Lexa smiled, handing her hand to her girlfriend’s mother.

"Likewise. I'm sorry it was under such circumstances though. Let's try to meet somewhere else next time...Like at dinner at our house next week?" Abby asked without really asking. It was her not so subtle way to say to Clarke that she had no other choice now.

"Yes mom, of course we'll come." she looked at Lexa who nodded with a smile.

"Alright then. I'll let you get home, Lexa needs to rest." Abby ordered. "Have a nice evening girls. Clarke i'll text you the details for the dinner." She continued as she hugged her daughter goodbye. "It was nice meeting you Lexa."

"You too Mrs Griffin."

"See you next week mom. Thanks for taking care of her."

After Abby left, Clarke helped Lexa gather her things, then she drove her back to her place. Lexa had dropped her dog at Bellamy's earlier in the day so they didn't have to take care of him right now. Clarke decided to run a bath for Lexa despite her protestations. She insisted that it would help her relax and the teacher finally agreed. Clarke put some leftovers in the microwave and they ate quickly. Lexa assured Clarke that she was alright when her girlfriend asked her for the hundredth time. A few minutes after dinner, Clarke announced that Lexa's bath was ready.

Lexa walked to the bathroom and undressed as Clarke was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, her hand in the water, testing the water temperature like she did with Aden. She turned to a completely naked Lexa and she couldn't help but drool over her girlfriend's body.

"Are you gonna get in with me?" Lexa inquired with a little smirk, knowing that Clarke wouldn't say no.

Clarke quickly got up and discarded her clothes on the floor next to Lexa's. She entered the bathtub and Lexa followed, sitting in front of her, their bodies flushed against one another. Lexa finally relaxed against Clarke, the blonde embracing her from behind. They stayed like that a few minutes, not saying anything, just content to be with each other.

"I'm sorry i didn't listen to you about me being exhausted." Lexa broke the peaceful silence.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Clarke confessed. "When Lincoln told me you were in the hospital i thought..."

A few hours earlier Clarke was thinking about how happy she was and that call could've been way worse, but she was so relieved that everything was fine. She felt tears pearling on the side of her eyes and felt a squeeze on her hand as Lexa turned to her with a comforting face.

"Hey, Clarke, i'm fine."

She took Clarke's face in her hand, making her look at her.

"I know you are i just...i love you Lexa. And i'm not saying it because i was scared for you, i really was but that's not the point. I've felt this way for a while now and the other day when you said it to me i wasn't sure you really meant it because you left right away but i don't care if you don't feel the same, i love you."

"I love you too Clarke." Lexa replied in a breath, her heart racing like a wild horse. "It just came out the other day and i didn't realize what i said until i was in my car. I gotta admit that i freaked out a little bit because i didn't know if the love i felt was mutual either but i really meant it. I'm sorry my timing sucks."

Clarke chuckled "Are we ever gonna do something "the right way?"" she asked gesturing quotation marks with her fingers.

"Don't you like our way?" Lexa answered with a teasing voice, turning her body so that she was laying on top of Clarke.

"I love it." Clarke whispered before Lexa's mouth closed on hers in a tender kiss that actually turned into more pretty quickly.

"I love you." Lexa let out when the two stopped making out to get some air.

"I love you too." Clarke replied with a smile that Lexa didn't think that she would ever get tired of. "The water's getting cold" Clarke noticed after a while and Lexa began to stand to get out of the bathroom. Clarke immediately missed the warmth of her body against hers.

"You wanna show me how much you love me?" Lexa asked throwing her a suggestive look over her shoulder before wrapping herself in a towel to Clarke’s dismay.

Clarke would have loved to say yes but Lexa just got out of the hospital and she needed to rest. She approached Lexa, who seemed in a particularly teasing mood this night, from behind. She slowly removed her wet hair from this side of her neck and gently bit her ear before whispering "I promise i'll show you exactly how much i love you when you feel better."

She felt Lexa tremble against her body, and she smirked. Two could play that game.

 


	24. Chapter 24

"I should wear something else!" Lexa blurted, going back to her room quickly.

Earlier in the day they went to Bellamy’s to take her dog back. They were trying to get him used to Clarke's place. But then Lexa had insisted on going back to her place because she didn't have enough clothes at Clarke's. So here they were, Clarke trying to finish her makeup while rolling her eyes at her girlfriend, who already had at least five changes of clothes. Needless to say, Lexa was nervous.

"Look Lexa, whatever you wear they're gonna love you." Clarke assured, following Lexa to her room.

"But i wanna make a good impression." Lexa whined, throwing her shirt on the bed, on the pile of clothes that she’d tried on before.

"Just put this on and let's get on with it babe. We're gonna be late otherwise, and you don't want that." Clarke sighed, handing a black pullover to Lexa who took it with a worried look. "Plus my mom saw you shirtless already, no need to worry about good impressions now. She thought you were pretty and nice."

"Uh...I don't know if i should feel flattered or weirded out that your mom thinks i'm pretty."

"Not the point Lexa."

Clarke walked to Lexa and took her in her arms, bringing her closer to her. She pushed a strand of hair away from Lexa's face and said calmly:

"Everything is gonna be alright."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Clarke nodded pulling Lexa in for a quick kiss. "Ok let's go!" she said slapping her butt gently to make her move. Lexa chuckled and followed Clarke in the living room where they quickly put on their coats.

"Have you lived outside of Arkadia all your life or did your parents decide to leave the city recently?" Lexa asked when they were driving.

"We lived here for as long as i can remember. My parents built the house when i was 2 and we moved in a year or so after that."

"That's nice. I hadn't moved around alot before coming to Arkadia, either."

Lexa looked outside and with the lights in the streets she recognized some of the places they were passing by. Then she realized that she had come here with Raven when she drove her to her mother's house. Lexa had talked to Clarke about the day she spent with Raven. Clarke had been a bit upset that Raven didn't ask her to go with her but Lexa tried to calm her down by telling her that Raven took this decision on an impulse. After that Raven and Clarke had a long chat on the phone and everything was fine again.

"I gotta warn you that my mother is probably gonna be overly excited" said Clarke, interrupting Lexa's thoughts. "I haven't brought anyone home since Finn. She must have thought that i was going to spend the rest of my life alone."

Lexa laughed "I feel like our moms are kinda similar then."

They arrived in a very nice neighborhood a few minutes later and Lexa assumed that it was their destination, knowing that Clarke's mother was a doctor and her father was a engineer, they probably had enough money to live in this place.

"We're here." Clarke said, stopping the car in the driveway of a pretty nice and modern looking house "You're ready?"

"Yeah. I don't really have a choice anyway."

Clarke chuckled and got out of the car. She waited for Lexa to join her before walking to the front door.

"Girls!" Abby exclaimed as soon as she opened the door and gestured for them to enter. She quickly embraced Clarke, happy to see her daughter.

"Hey mom."

"Hi baby." she greeted back. "Hi Lexa! How are you feeling my dear? Did you get some rest?" Abby asked motherly, putting her hand on Lexa's shoulder.

"Yes Mrs Griffin, i'm feeling better. Thank you for asking." Lexa politely replied as she followed Clarke in the hall of the house. "Oh this is for you!" she handing Abby a bottle of red wine.

"Very nice." noted Abby, reading what was written on the bottle. "It will go perfectly with the dinner. Thank you."

Clarke put her coat on the coat rack and took Lexa's one right after.

"Your dad is still in the kitchen." Abby told Clarke and they followed her in the kitchen where a tall man with grey hair was back to them, humming a song.

"Dad!" Clarke laughed and walked to him to give him a big hug.

"Baby! You're here already!" Clarke's father with a big smile.

"Yeah. Here's Lexa, dad. Lexa meet my dad." Clarke introduced, taking a step back.

"Lexa Woods, nice to meet you sir." Lexa introduced herself, handing her hand for Jake to shake.

"Haha, God don't "sir" me please. You can call me Jake. It's nice to meet you too Lexa." He replied with a genuine smile.

"Did you get here okay?" Abby inquired.

"Yes. Thank you." Lexa reassured.

"So, Abby told me how you two first met. It was pretty funny."

"Dad!"

"Well not the hospital part obviously but did you know it was Clarke's mom?"

"I kinda guessed with the name and the job but i didn't want to say anything in case she wasn't the right Dr Griffin."

"And to think i was telling Lexa about my daughter dating a woman." Abby laughed with her husband. "It was quite ironic actually."

"It was." Lexa agreed with a smile.

"You're feeling better Lexa?" Clarke's father asked with a more serious face.

"I am."

"Abby told me you're training for the marathon."

"I hope to get back to training with my partner as soon as possible."

"Yeah running with someone must be better."

"Have you ever run the Arkadia marathon?" Lexa inquired, feeling like Jake liked sports too.

"No nothing like that. I don't really like to run. I played tennis for a while though, in doubles, and playing with someone...i felt like it helped a lot more."

"Yeah i get you." Lexa nodded, not sure that she would be able to get through the entire run without Lincoln.

They talked a bit more about sports and a few minutes later they sat at the dinner table, Jake putting food in everyone's plate while they continued to get to know each other better.

"Do you like being a teacher?" Abby asked Lexa between two bites.

"Yes. I've always wanted to become a teacher, kids are such a joy."

"Not always, try having this one and Raven bickering for everything and nothing, you'll see!" Jake complained and Clarke threw him a fake angry look.

"I hate you, dad."

He put his hand on his chest, mimicking having heart pain and Lexa couldn't help but chuckle. It was cute to see how close Clarke and her dad seemed to be.

"So when are you two planning on giving me other grandchildren?" Abby questioned and Lexa felt her heart stop for a second as she was waiting for Clarke response.

Clarke choked on her green beans "Mom!"

"I was just asking." Abby defended herself.

"We're not there yet, okay." Clarke closed the topic.

"Talking about grandchildren, how's Aden?" Jake changed the subject, sensing that some tension was rising between Clarke and Abby. "Does he do well in class?"

"He's a really enthusiastic child, pretty quiet in class but he's a smart boy." Lexa answered with a smile.

"Does he know about you two?"

"Yes and no. I told him i was dating someone, a woman, and he was pretty okay about everything. I didn't mention that it was Lexa though, i guess he'll understand when he sees us together Sunday."

"Sunday?!" Lexa exclaimed, surprised, turning her head to Clarke with wide eyes.

Clarke forgot to tell her that it was happening soon. Way sooner than Lexa thought and right now she was actually freaking out. She wanted the meeting to happen but now that Clarke had chosen the day and everything it was getting real.

"Yeah. Why?" Clarke asked with a rather cold tone.

"It's just...soon. I'm just surprised because you didn't tell me." Lexa admitted, putting her hand on Clarke's thigh and squeezed to silently calm Clarke down and reassure her about the fact that yes she wanted to meet her son as the woman who was dating her mother. She just hoped Clarke understood the message. It would be pretty embarrassing to argue with her in front of her parents the first time that they were meeting.

"I thought i did, i'm sorry." Clarke apologized.

She took Lexa's hand in hers and gave Lexa a quick kiss on the cheek that made Lexa blush a bit when she was reminded by Abby that they were not alone.

"You two make such a lovely couple!" she complimented with the biggest smile and the two didn't responded, they just smiled to each other. "Aden is gonna love you!" Abby declared.

"I hope so." Lexa admitted.

"Alright, it's time for the cake. Lexa would you help me?" Jake suggested as he stood up, taking the pile of dishes in his hands.

"Oops there it is, the moment alone with the parents." Lexa thought before standing up too. "Of course."

Clarke gave her an encouraging smile.

"We'll set up a game while you're gone." Abby declared as Lexa followed Jake into the kitchen.

He stopped right in front of the oven.

"Look at that pie!"

"It looks really good."

"Everything i do looks good. It's in my genes you know." he joked, referring to Clarke, and Lexa laughed nervously waiting for a "Don't break my baby girl's heart" type of conversation.

"Don't worry i didn't planned to kill you in the kitchen, Lexa." Jake assured, seeing that Lexa didn't look very relaxed. "I'm guessing Raven already gave you some kind of rough treatment."

"Kinda yes." Lexa recalled the bomb joke.

"It's the role of family to look out for each other. That's what she does in her own way. I can only hope that that's what you're going to do for Clarke now that you're part of the family too."

"I will." she assured, happy that Jake was considering her family.

"I'm glad she found someone like you Lexa."

"I'm glad i found her."

Jake nodded handing her the plates for the dessert then took the cake in his hands. They joined Clarke and Abby in the living room. A nice fire was warming up the big room in the fireplace. Lexa sat next to Clarke on the comfy leather couch.

"Here we go." Jake said, sitting next to his wife after putting the pie on the table next to a board game that Lexa knew very well : Risk.

"Dad you made an apple pie!" Clarke exclaimed with a big smile and it reminded Lexa of the time Clarke told her that her dad's apple pie was "the shit". She couldn't wait to get a taste.

As she thought, the pie was delicious and she got a refill or two during their Risk game. Lexa had a great time destroying everyone at it. They didn't know that it was Lexa's favorite game and she never lost a game, hence the Commander name that she got from her family and friends who now refused to play with her.

The couple took their leave right after the end of the game, in spite of Abby's protestations who insisted they stay at her home to sleep because it was pretty late. They drove quietly and Clarke was glad when they finally reached her apartment, she was exhausted and Lexa fell asleep on her during the second part of the ride.

Clarke didn't ask Lexa during the drive, but now that Lexa appeared more awake after her little nap she did, while trading her clothes for her pyjamas : "Hey, are you okay Lexa? I noticed at dinner my mom asked us about having kids, you looked weird after that. I'm sorry about that, my mom can be a little pushy you know..."

Lexa took a deep breath and sat on the bed. They had to talk about it...

"I never told you why me and Costia broke up. Well that's not the only reason but one of the main problem we had was kids."

"I see..."

"Do you want to have other kids?" Lexa asked shyly but she needed to know.

"I mean..." Clarke began. She put her hand in her hair looking like she was thinking about Lexa's question "i'm fine not having another kid, i love Aden with everything i have. But as i said to my mom we're not there yet but later then maybe yeah. As long as that's what you want too. "

"I do." Lexa answered, sincerely happy about Clarke's answer.

"Alright." Clarke smiled, taking Lexa's hand that was resting on the duvet next to her and squeezed it.

Lexa leaned closer to Clarke and was about to kiss her when Clarke yawned loudly for a few seconds. Lexa chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek instead. "Okay let's get into bed, baby."

Clarke nodded and Lexa followed her under the covers, spooning her. Not soon after, her girlfriend was asleep and Lexa smiled, content, before drifting off into sleep herself.

*****

Sunday. Big day. Lexa was stressing out even more than when she met Finn, Raven or Clarke's parents and she didn't think it was something possible. Finn was supposed to drop Aden off in approximately three minutes. Yes, she counted.

During the week Clarke had asked Lexa if she wanted to wait more but she told her no. She was ready. Or was she? No time to back out now anyway. She was on the couch, next to Clarke, watching whatever was on tv, biting her nails.

Clarke and Lexa had decided that Lexa would not give Aden any "gift", they didn't want him to feel like they were trying to buy him into being okay with the situation. Clarke also asked Finn to tell Aden this week that "mommy's girlfriend" would be with her Sunday so it wouldn't surprise their son.

The knock on the door got Lexa out of her worries. It was time. Clarke gave her a kiss, assuring her that everything would be fine and she followed her to the door. Clarke opened the door with Lexa waiting nervously behind her.

"Baby!" Clarke greeted as soon as she saw Aden.

"Mommy!" he greeted back, running into her mother's arms.

"Hello Lexa." Finn said politely as he put Aden's bag on the ground, the teacher replied quickly and the sound of her voice seemed to startle Aden who turned to her with wide eyes. "Alright i'm gonna go. Have a great night. I'll see you next week. Bye Aden." Finn announced, giving his son a little kiss before leaving. He closed the door to an awkward silence.

"Hi Aden." Lexa said kindly, not getting closer than she already was.

"Hello Mrs Woods." he replied shyly not really understanding why his teacher was here.

Clarke stepped in. "Aden you know how me and your dad we told you about my girlfriend?" Aden nodded and Clarke continued "Mrs Woods, Lexa, is my girlfriend. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Aden said, still looking pretty confused. "Am i going to be at school at home now?"

"No no baby, no school here." Clarke reassured her son. "Lexa is going to be here from time to time with me and you if you're okay with that."

"Are you my mom too now?" Aden asked directly to Lexa this time with a little more confidence.

"Oh! No Aden." Lexa crouched down to be about Aden's height. "I'm not going to be your mom. At school i will be your teacher, like it has always been. At home i'm just going to be a part of your family, like your aunty Raven."

"So you're my aunt?"

"No..."

Aden frowned. He was getting a bit upset now, Clarke could sense it. He didn't really understand what Lexa was supposed to be for him. His stepmother? Lexa just told him that she wasn't going to be his mother, the word would only confuse him more. Clarke thought she was ready for everything because they talked about it a lot with Lexa but they didn't think of that.

"Lexa is my girlfriend." Clarke explained, hoping that it would be enough for Aden for now.

"Ok." Aden said and went to sat on the couch without another word.

Lexa didn't know what to expect of the meeting but she reckoned that it could have been better. Clarke was looking at her with a sorry look and she shrugged, being a bit clueless herself. Nothing really prepares you to meet your boyfriend or girlfriend's child.

During dinner, Aden seemed to be more comfortable in Lexa's presence with him and his mother. He told them about his week with Finn and complained that they had Cage as a teacher when Lexa was absent.

"Speaking about school..." Clarke began and got closer to Aden. "I know this might be a bit confusing for now." she gestured between her and Lexa. "But it would be better if you didn't tell your friends about Lexa being here okay?"

"Why?"

"Because Lexa could have problems and maybe not being able to stay at your school anymore?"

"So she wouldn't be our teacher anymore?"

"Exactly. And we don't want that, do we?"

Aden said no with his head and Lexa felt happy that he still wanted her to be his teacher.

"He just needs time to adjust i think." Lexa had told Clarke when they were doing the dishes and she had agreed with her. They needed to be patient.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry i wasn't going to pull a Sanvers on you guys ;)


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy this one guys! =)

Lexa packed her things slower than usual before she left her classroom, the day had been long, once again Aden had been giving her a hard time at school, he had been since he knew she was dating his mom… three weeks ago. At first it was subtle like he shrugged when she asked him a question but now he just plain ignored her. She was tired and she needed some space, she felt bad about not wanting to spend the night at Clarke's. She had not stayed at Clarke's with them every day that Aden had been there as well, she didn't want to impose. Aden still needed time to adjust to the new situation. Sure, they seemed to be making some progress with Aden at least at home. Lexa's dog being here helped; Aden loved having a dog to play with in the house,especially when they went outside.

As she was walking toward the exit Lexa heard voices in the corridor. At this time of day everyone was usually gone. She wasn't going to stop but then she recognized the voices, it was Cage and Nia Frost. The curiosity pushed her to turn back and walk silently over to them. Lexa stopped at the corner where she could hear them perfectly.

"I told you already, it's going to work. You just have to hurry before the end of the year."

"I know, I know. The teachers are gonna get suspicious if i don't do anything."

"Some parents have already been complaining to me about the budget for next year." Nia admitted.

"We're lucky you're the head of the board then." Cage replied and Lexa could hear the smirk in his voice.

"We are. Is your father aware of anything?"

"He's not, that old idiot won't know what's coming for him when I finally become principal. I deserve this."

“Oh my God!” Lexa thought in realisation. So Nia and Cage were working together to make Cage the principal of the school. But what was going on with the money? Lexa didn't hear all the conversation and she doubted these two were dumb enough to talk about their entire plan right there and now.

"We'll talk next week, I have to go." Nia informed and lexa heard footsteps coming in her direction.

Lexa hurried to the door as discreetly as possible but it wasn't easy. She decided to return to her classroom and pretend that she was there all the time. She closed the door and nearly ran to her desk. She saw Nia walking in the corridor from the corner of her eyes and she didn't turn her head to look at her, looking like she was absorbed in her work. Cage followed a few seconds later and knocked at Lexa's door.

"Doing some extra work I see..."

"I forgot the tests that I have to grade." Lexa replied with a cold tone showing him the papers she had in hands.

"I'll see you tomorrow Lexa." Cage said before leaving.

Lexa got out too and wondered if Cage had left his office open. He was gone, maybe he had some proof about what was happening with him and Nia here. Lexa decided to go see for herself. It was a risk she was taking, Cage could come back any time, but she wanted to know. Lexa walked to the office, her heart racing as she listened for any noise. She stopped in front of the door and hovered for a moment before going inside. It was open.

Lexa closed the door behind her and started looking for something in the pile of papers that were on the desk. She found a file with "2019 Budget" written on it. She opened it and started reading. The budget for the teachers was definitely not what Lexa and her colleagues were given.

“Cage you bastard!” she said quietly, the anger rising inside of her.

She took a few pictures and decided it was time to go, she could read that at home. She couldn't stay here too much. She left right after rearranging the papers like they were before and walked quickly outside the school feeling almost like a criminal. Lexa sat in her car and took the deep breath that she seemed to have held all the way.

“Fuck” she let out before driving away.

*****

Lexa drove quickly to Clarke's apartment to get her dog and tell her that she was going to spend the night at her place. Clarke was disappointed, but she let her go without much protest. Aden hugged the dog and said goodbye to Lexa before they left.

When she finally entered her apartment she instantly relaxed a little. Being alone, she needed that. After a quick shower she took a look at the pictures she took in Cage's office. The numbers didn't add up with the budget she, Bellamy and Lincoln had been granted for next year. They had talked about it with one or two of their colleagues and they didn't get more than them. If she asked the other teachers for a copy of their own budget she could compare the numbers and have concrete evidence that something was wrong. But it wouldn't be enough to incriminate Cage for embezzlement.

She didn't know what to do next, she couldn't go back to Cage's office. She needed help with that and Lexa knew exactly who to call.

"Octavia? Hi. Is this a good time?" Lexa asked anxiously.

"Of course girl! What's up?"

"I have a question. As a police officer I think you could help me."

"Are you in trouble Lexa?" Octavia worriedly questioned, dropping her usual fun tone.

"No no i'm fine i'm just looking at some papers and I think someone is stealing money at school, and hiding it to frame someone." Lexa revealed to her friend.

"It sounds serious. What do you need to know?"

"I don't have enough evidence against the guy. I know who he's working with but i can't do anything."

"Alright. Look I just took my detective exam and i'm on vacation until next week. Maybe we could meet this weekend with what you have gathered and make a plan of action."

"Sounds good."

"Okay. In the meantime don't do anything. Don't talk to the people who are involved. Let things be the way they are usually. We wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious."

"Gotcha." Lexa nodded before thanking her friend and ending the call.

*****

  
Aden threw his book on the floor with an angry face "You're not my mother!" he yelled at Lexa while his classmates looked with wide eyes. It was a direct attack against her, not as his teacher but as Lexa the woman who shared his mother's life. Ontari smirked and Lexa knew that she had no other choices but to take him to director Wallace's office. Aden had already been disrespectful once or twice with her this week but she didn't tell Clarke about it. She didn't want to aggravate things. She felt like Aden was trying to push the boundaries to see where his limits were. Unfortunately Lexa could not let this pass, not when the entire class had witnessed it.

"Aden pick up your book please and follow me." Lexa ordonned as she left the classroom.

She quickly knocked at the door of the classroom that was right next to hers, it was Bellamy's. Lexa asked him to watch over her class too and he gave her a sorry smile when he saw Aden behind her, knowing that something was wrong. Lexa walked to Wallace's office, Aden silently following her. Maybe she should give him a chance to explain before they went to the director. She stopped and turned to him.

"Aden what's going on?" she gently asked.

He turned his head on the side, not looking at her anymore and didn't say a word. Lexa sighed, he was pretty stubborn. She started walking again and waited for Dante to answer as she knocked on his door.

"Ms Woods, what is it?"

She quickly explained the situation to him and he invited them into his office.

"Aden, you know that i'm going to have to call your parents, right?"

He nodded, looking like he didn't really care.

"Why are you being like that? The year began quite well and now it is the second time that you're here in my office. Usually there is no third time."

Lexa bit her lip anxiously. She didn't want Aden to be expelled.

"Can you help me understand what is happening as we wait for your mother to arrive?"

Aden shrugged.

"I'm sure it's just a temporary thing Mr Wallace, Aden is a very good student."

"I am aware of this Ms Woods, but i don't understand that sudden change of demeanor."

"I think it must be my fault..." Lexa began not knowing where the end of her sentence was going to go.

"How so?" Dante asked, surprised by the teacher's confession.

"I..." She was interrupted by Wallace's phone ringing. He answered quickly and a few seconds later Clarke was in the room, looking pissed.

"Mrs Griffin I wish we would be seeing each other in better a situation but Aden has been pretty disrespectful toward Ms Woods. She told me it wasn't the first incident."

Clarke looked at Lexa and the brunette turned her head back to Dante, avoiding her girlfriend's gaze. Lexa had not told Clarke about these little moments of misconduct that Aden was prone to.

"I'm very sorry about that Mr Wallace. I know the school is strict on discipline and i assure you it won't happen again."

"I want to trust you Mrs Griffin, but i'm sorry to tell you that the next time there’s a problem we might consider expelling your son."

"It's not fair!" Aden exclaimed angrily.

"Aden your behavior is not acceptable and you have to face the consequences for it. It is fair." Dante replied with a firm tone.

"Mr Wallace actually..." Lexa began and she could see Clarke saying no with her head from the corner of her eyes as she probably thought that her girlfriend was going to tell her boss that she was dating her.

Suddenly the door sprung open, Cage appeared behind the door.

"Oh i'm sorry i didn't know you were busy. Ms Griffin what a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise." Clarke answered with a fake smile as she shook his hand reluctantly.

"Father i just wanted to give you the new numbers for next year."

"Thank you." Cage handed him the paper and left with a smirk. Dante took a quick glance at the paper, it was probably the fake budget paper that Lexa saw in Cage's office the other day. He put the paper down and turned his head back to Clarke.

"I think we are done here. Aden i hope for you that this is the last time i see you in my office. Have a good day Mrs Griffin."

"You too Mr Wallace." the blonde answered before opening the door for her and Aden. She looked pissed and Lexa couldn't help but to feel guilty. The teacher stood up to follow them but Dante stopped her.

"Ms Woods please stay a moment." She sat down waiting for him to talk. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm sorry?" Lexa asked, confused about his question.

"A few minutes ago you seemed to be wanting to tell me something." he recalled.

Oh yes, tell him that she was dating Clarke or tell him that his son was probably stealing money from the school...

"Hum... no everything's fine."

He looked at her with a skeptical face. "May i ask you why you were in my son's office the other day after class?"

Shit. How did he know? She was alone! She was sure that no one was around when she went in Cage's office looking for proof that he was guilty of stealing money. She didn't find much, and she needed time to gather more evidence to talk to Dante about it. Lexa didn't have a choice, she had to tell him something.

"I...He saw me with my girlfriend the other day and i went to ask him not to tell anyone about it." she admitted hoping that it would be a good enough answer.

"I see. I can assure you Ms Woods that your sexual orientation is not a problem here."

"I know but i just didn't want people to know. They can be pretty judgmental to say the least."

"I understand. You don't have to worry about this here. We have your back."

"Thank you." She sensed that the conversation was over and she left quickly wondering if Clarke was waiting for her outside.

And her girlfriend was outside, Aden was gone though, probably back to class. Lexa walked to her with a guilty face. She knew what was coming.

"Why didn't you tell me there were problems before?" Clarke asked with an angry tone.

"I didn't want things to get worse between me and him. I don't think telling you about it would have helped."

"I would have talked to him about it."

"He would have felt cornered i think."

"You don't know that."

"Okay i don't, and i'm sorry but i don't know what to do. You know things are tense at home and at school too..."

"It's gonna get better. I'm gonna talk to Aden about what happened here."

"What if it doesn't get better?" Lexa asked, all the insecurities resurfacing at once. "He clearly doesn't like us dating i don't know if we can continue..."

"What are you saying Lexa?"

What did she mean? She didn't even know. Clearly she had a rough week and she needed a little time to think.

"I'm not saying anything. I just have a lot on my mind right now. We'll talk about this tonight, okay?" Lexa whispered, taking Clarke's hand in hers to reassure her.

"Alright." Clarke surrendered, aware that the school was not the best place for them to talk about their relationship problems. She kissed Lexa on the cheek before going back to work. Lexa watched her as she left having more doubts than ever.

*****

"Aden can i talk to you?" Lexa asked behind the door of his bedroom, she wanted to try to talk to him while Clarke was on the phone.

As an answer the door opened up and revealed the little boy in his cute dinosaur themed pyjamas. Lexa followed him as he sat back on the ground, playing with his toys, the one Lexa got for him at Christmas.

"Nice toys!" she exclaimed trying to ease the weird silence between them, but Aden did not respond. "Are you okay Aden? About all that i mean, me being here with you and your mom?"

He shrugged, not looking at her once.

"You know, i love your mom but i want you to be happy too and if me being here doesn't make you happy i need to know that."

Lexa waited a moment for Aden to tell her something, anything but he gave her nothing. She was trying so hard but in this moment she felt like it was a lost cause.

"Have a good night Aden." Lexa said as she left, trying to hold back that lump in her throat, the feeling of being rejected and ignored by Aden. It hurt her more than she would admit to Clarke. She almost thought that she didn't hear the faint "Goodnight." coming from Aden's mouth as she got out of his room. She got into bed and waited for Clarke as she read a book she was having a hard time getting into because of everything that was happening in her life over the last few days.

"Finn called." Clarke announced to Lexa when she got in the bedroom, getting ready for bed. Lexa let her continue, she was expecting some kind of blame against her and Clarke about the situation. "He's sorry Aden is treating you this way." Well that was unexpected. Lexa nodded, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry about that. Aden is a child, he shouldn't have to deal with our stuff."

"It's fine, he'll get used to it, Lexa." Clarke assured.

"No. I feel like all this is my fault."

"Lexa..."

"I'm destroying the relationship you have with your son. I never meant for that to happen." Lexa admitted, on the verge of tears. She closed the book she was reading on her lap.

"Hey hey Lexa." Clarke called, coming closer to her, she took her face between her hands. "I know this is hard on you too but everything is gonna be fine. You're not destroying anything we're just learning how to build something new okay?"

Clarke's words didn't make her feel better and she felt powerless. She never thought that Aden would react that badly to her presence.

"But i'm not okay Clarke. None of this is okay. Aden hates me. His grades are dropping, he gets in trouble at school. He doesn't talk a lot with you when i'm here and he barely talks to me. You're stressed out..."

Clarke's hands dropped on the mattress next to where she was sitting looking as disconcerted as Lexa now.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know." Lexa answered with her voice cracking.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy this one ^^

Clarke woke up, she was on her bed, still dressed with her day clothes, her head hurt. She looked at her hand, clenching something inside it. It was an envelope. What was in it, she didn't know but she remembered how she got it and her heartbreak immediately came back.

_The day before :_

_Lexa started removing her clothes from the little space Clarke had left for her in her closet. She put them in her backpack. It was still early, Clarke wasn't back from work yet. She texted Lexa awhile ago saying that she would come home in about twenty minutes. Lexa had wondered if maybe she should have just left her a note saying that she was leaving but remembering the way she felt when she came back home only to find an empty apartment after Costia left, Lexa felt ashamed of even thinking about doing that to Clarke. She deserved better than that._

_Lexa had looked at the problem in every way but she couldn't find a solution that would please everyone. Making a decision like this wasn't easy and she didn't know how to do it but she had to. She had never broken up with anyone before but she doubted that it usually ended well._

_Putting a t-shirt in the bag she felt a tear slide down her cheek, it wasn't hers it was Clarke's. Her blue shirt from Arkadia University that Lexa usually slept in. A part of her wanted to take it with her as a memory but she couldn't bring herself to do that. It would only break her heart even more to see it. She placed the t-shirt back on the bed, removing the tear from her face with the back of her hand._

_She was nearly done packing when she heard the door of the apartment open and Lexa felt her heart clench. It was time. Clarke's footsteps getting closer, Lexa hurried to finish packing the rest of her stuff._

_"Hey here you are!" Lexa heard Clarke exclaimed as she entered the room. "What are you..." she didn't finish her sentence when she realized what Lexa was doing._

_"I'm sorry Clarke." Lexa said, not looking at Clarke. She couldn't face her, sure that she wouldn't find the strength to do what she had to do if she took a look at Clarke's face._

_"Lexa please don't do that!" Clarke begged, coming closer to Lexa and taking one of her hands in hers._

_"We can't keep going like this Clarke." Lexa answered with a sorry tone, she reluctantly removed her hand from Clarke's and took a step backward._

_"Can't we just keep things like before?"_

_"Seeing each other every two weeks? That's not what i want for us Clarke." Lexa shook her head no and took the backpack on the bed._

_"It worked before." Clarke stated with a little smile, thinking there was still some hope to save their couple._

_"For how long are we supposed to do that huh? Until Aden doesn't live with you anymore? I can't do it Clarke, i'm sorry."_

_"So that's it? You're just gonna leave at the first hard time we have?"_

_"You know it's not what's happening." Lexa stated, turning to Clarke with teary eyes. She had a hard time keeping it together but she knew she needed to be strong._

_The blonde's cheeks were covered in tears and Lexa wanted nothing than to wrap her arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be fine, but she couldn't do that. She could tell that Clarke knew she was right but she didn't want to let go._

_"I know, but i don't want to end this. I love you and i know that you love me too. You really want to let go of this? Of us?" Clarke whispered, her nose touching Lexa's. Her hands coming on Lexa's shoulders, not wanting to let go._

_Lexa didn't even realize that Clarke had gotten closer. She closed her eyes for a minute, trying to push her emotions away but it only made her more vulnerable to Clarke. The blonde put her forehead against Lexa's._

_"I love you." She heard again, like these three words were supposed to be the cure to everything, the resolution to every problem. Lexa wished that it was like this but they both knew that sometimes love isn't the only factor to take into account. She wished that she didn't have to break Clarke's heart and her own at the same time but she wasn't alone in this anymore right? She recalled her own words, spoken to Anya. The moment that had made her realize she was in love with Clarke. How cruel that it was at the same time the realization of their love but also the end of it._

_Lexa felt tears running down her cheeks even with her eyes still closed, her heart was breaking. She felt Clarke's breath on her lips and she gave in. She let out an involuntary sob before she took Clarke in her arms and kissed her with all the love she had for her, hoping that it would maybe take her pain away. If it was supposed to be their last kiss, it was a mess. Her cheeks were soaked by tears, hers or Clarke's, maybe both. Probably both. She knew Clarke could tell it was a goodbye kiss, she didn't want to end it. Everytime Lexa's face began to get away from hers she would bring it back to her and Lexa nearly let herself be intoxicated by the kiss, by Clarke. Deep down Lexa was aware that if she stayed then maybe they would be okay for a while, but in the end the problems would still be here._

_She caught Clarke's hands from around her head and took a step away from the other woman. Clarke looked at her with red puffy eyes, knowing that it was useless to try to get Lexa to stay. She had surrendered to Lexa's decision the second they stopped kissing._

_"I have to go." Lexa said quietly, letting go of Clarke's hands._

_"I know." Clarke agreed, trying to be strong but her voice cracked and betrayed her when she spoke._

_"I bought these a few weeks ago, i thought the three of us could go, but..." Lexa choked up, giving an envelope to Clarke. "Keep it." she finished with trouble. She didn't give Clarke time to open it._

_Lexa looked one last time at the woman she loved and left the room, glad that Clarke didn't follow her, she left her key of the apartment next to Clarke's and closed the door behind her. She didn't hear Clarke collapsed on the floor of her room, crying until there were no more tears to shed. Until she was so tired of crying that she fell asleep._

Clarke caught herself crying again and she was glad that she didn't have Aden with her this week. She needed a little time alone. She put the envelope on Lexa's nightstand, not opening it yet, she wasn't ready for anymore heartbreak right now. She got up from the bed and went to take a shower, hoping that the water would make her feel a little bit better...It didn't. Clarke called Jenny, the artist who worked with her at her gallery and told her that she would not be at work for the rest of the week, pretending that she was feeling sick. She knew that Jenny could handle the gallery in her absence.

Clarke was mad at herself for not thinking more about what would happen in case Aden didn't like her being with Lexa. She should have talked to him more. She felt guilty of not doing more for Aden, for her couple, like it was her fault everything fell apart. Clarke understood Lexa's decision, she wasn't angry at her, she knew that it was hard for Lexa too and in a way she was glad that Lexa had the strength to do it. Clarke didn't think she could have done the same.

It was hard not being able to be mad at Lexa, they both knew that it wasn't a matter of love, and it hurt even more. It was not like one of them cheated or hurt the other in another way, they just were in a situation in which them being together was unfortunately a problem.

Lexa had brought love back into her life, after her break up with Finn she didn't know if she would ever find love again, but she had with Lexa. She had made her realize that her life didn't need to be solely focused on her son's happiness and that she deserved to be loved. Lexa had made her feel like a woman again and not just a mother and now having to let that part of her go...the persistent pain in her chest grew even more at the thought.

On her side, Lexa wasn't feeling better. Breaking up with Clarke must have been one of the hardest things she had to make. It was like a hole had been cut into her chest. It was different from her break up with Costia but it hurt all the same. She loved Clarke and would continue loving her for a long time. Projects for their future had began to grow in her head but for now she needed to forget about it, for her own sake.

*****

Today was the first time Lexa saw Clarke since their break up. She recognized her from behind when she came to the school to pick Aden up. Lexa felt her heart ache, she wanted nothing more than to go speak to her, tell her that she had made a mistake by breaking up with her but she knew it wasn't the truth. Aden seemed fine now that she wasn't dating his mother, everything was back to normal on this side. Lexa had felt a bit guilty as she tend to spend less time checking on Aden's work the week before. He didn't deserve to be treated differently because of what happened between her and his mother. She adjusted her behavior, reminding herself that she was a teacher and everything went back to normal at school. At least one good thing came out of this.

The children all left and Lexa followed. She didn't catch Clarke leaving. They didn't speak. She didn't even know if Clarke saw her but it hurt, so bad. It was Friday night, usually she would have gone to the bar with Bellamy, Lincoln and eventually Octavia but she wasn't feeling like it. That day like every night this week she came home to an empty apartment except for her dog. Even he made her think about Clarke now. She heated some leftovers and went to bed early.

Lexa had told her friends that she broke up with Clarke a week ago. They all had looked at her like she was crazy but as she explained the situation she saw them feel sorry for her but she didn't want her pity. "It's not pity, we care about you and Clarke and we're just sorry for you. If you need anything, you tell us." Lincoln had told her. Octavia struggled with their break up, wondering if it was still okay for her to be friends with Clarke and Lexa reassured her saying that what happened between them didn't need to change the relationship they had with Clarke.

She had told the same thing to Anya the day after and Clarke broke up. Anya immediately wanted to come to Arkadia to be with her best friend, but Lexa asked her not to. Not yet. She needed to focus on something other than Clarke or she felt like it would destroy her.

Seeing Cage's face at school the next day suddenly reminded Lexa of the conversation she had heard between him and Nia Frost. It had completely been thrown down to the bottom of her priorities with what happened with Clarke, but now she had time for this and she could use her newfound motivation to make him fall.

She took out her phone to look at the picture she took in Cage's office. She printed them and put them on her wall with other documents that she had gathered from other teachers. She was going to need some help if she wanted to bring him down.

*****

It had been two and a half weeks since Lexa and Clarke broke up; eighteen days to be precise but who was counting, and Clarke was done with it. She couldn't do this anymore. Clarke had had enough of this break up. Waking up alone in her bed and still turning to Lexa's side of the bed hoping to find her there only to find the cold feeling of empty sheets. Going to school to pick up Aden and not daring to look at Lexa in case the brunette was also looking at her because she didn't want their eyes to meet, not being sure if she could handle the pain in Lexa's eyes if they did.

She could tell Aden was feeling guilty when she told him that Lexa was not going to be there with them anymore but she played it cool like it was no big deal. She didn't know if she did fool her son with her fake smiles but he had not asked any more questions. She ignored if it was because he didn't actually care or if he didn't know how to deal with the answers he would have gotten, but maybe Clarke was happy he didn't ask. It was easier not to talk about it.

Clarke looked for her denim vest in her room, that's when she saw enveloppe that Lexa gave her that day. She didn't know what was in it. She took it and sat on her bed. It was the first time she had it back in her hands since she left it on the nightstand. Clarke reached inside and took out three pieces of paper. She turned them so she could read what it was. She felt a sting in her heart seeing that it was three tickets for the soccer finale between Arkadia and Polis at Polis stadium in two months. Three tickets, two for them and one for Aden. Lexa knew that he loved soccer like her. Clarke didn't try to contain her tears. Lexa had projects for the three of them, not just for their couple. She couldn't help but love Lexa even more in this moment and it pushed Clarke to go see Lexa.

She took her car keys and drove to her place. She parked right in front of her building. Before getting out of the car, Clarke spent quite a long time wondering if it was a good idea. Nothing has changed for Aden it seemed but Clarke longed to see Lexa again. She missed her so much. Clarke got out of the car after a woman about her age entered Lexa's building. She felt like she had seen the girl before, maybe during one of her visit to Lexa. Clarke walked up the stairs quickly, her heart racing not only because she was going fast but also because she was a bit stressed up about what Lexa's reaction could be.

She reached the last corner before Lexa's corridor and she saw the woman in front of Lexa's door so she waited. Clarke heard Clark barking and a little smile appeared on her face at the familiar sound. A few seconds later the door opened and Lexa greeted the person as she entered the apartment : "Costia! Please come in."

Clarke stood there in shock, leaning on the wall next to her. She couldn't believe that Lexa would be back seeing people that quickly, even less her ex-girlfriend Costia. Of all the scenarios she played in her head before finally getting out of her car, this one she didn't considered.

  
"Clarke maybe it's not what you think it is." Raven tried to calm down Clarke a few hours later.

Clarke had been fuming, pacing in her living room, her emotions divided between anger, jealousy, pain and disbelief, before she called Raven asking if she wanted to go out that night. They were now at their favorite bar, a few tequila shots and other drinks already down Clarke's stomach.

"Yeah, her ex going to her place even if they didn't talk when we were together. Sure. It's not what i think. They're just "friends".

"She loves you Clarke. I doubt she would be back with her ex, two weeks after breaking up with you. She's not like that."

"Oh yeah i forgot you two were best friends." Clarke snorted, taking a sip of whatever cocktail she had ordered.

"Maybe lay off the booze a little." Raven recommended, ignoring Clarke's comment. She knew that in her actual state of mind she would have to deal with Mean Clarke and God knows she could be a real bitch.

Clarke didn't reply and suddenly called someone who just entered the bar.

"Niylah! Over here!" Clarke waved at her and Raven's eyes went wide.

"Hey girls! How is it going?" The blonde greated as she got close to their table.

"Good, why don't you come sit with us?" Clarke suggested as she finished her drink.

"My friends are over there...Do you want to join us?"

"It's fine, Clarke just finished her drink we were gonna go home." Raven declined before Clarke could even speak.

"No it's okay we're coming."

"Alright." Niylah smiled as Clarke got up and started following her. Raven reached for Clarke's arm to stop her.

"What are you doing Clarke?!"

"I'm having fun, okay!"

"No you're not! You're getting drunk because you think Lexa is sleeping with her ex and you're in pain!" Raven argued with her best friend wanting to prevent her of making a bad decision. "What are you gonna do next? Sleep with Niylah, do you think it's going to make you feel better uh?"

"I'll do what i want. I don't need you to tell me what i should or shouldn't do."

"I hate you when you're like that, you know." It had only happened a couple times but Raven really didn't like it when she was like this.

"Why don't you just go home then." Clarke answered. She crossed her arms in front of her, getting annoyed by Raven's tone.

"Look i just want you to think for a second. Why don't you just ask Lexa what was going on?"

"What a good idea!" Clarke said ironically taking her phone in her hand. "Are you fucking your ex?" she read as she typed.

Raven snapped the phone out of her hand and deleted the text. "God Clarke you can't send her that!"

"You're the one saying i should ask her." Clarke drunkely answered and Raven cursed herself for not getting here earlier, she could have stopped her from drinking that much.

"Okay that's over. We're going home. Come on!" Raven ordered, she was pissed now and tired.

"No i'm staying."

"No you're not." Raven said in a cold tone, grabbing her arm to make her move.

"Fuck you! Why do you even care about who i sleep with? At least i'm sleeping with someone! Leave me alone! I don't need you!"

It was enough for Raven "Alright you know what? You go sleep with your fuckbuddy over there and i'll go home. Don't come crying to my door tomorrow. Take this back." She handed her her phone. "And fuck you too!" Raven nearly yelled before leaving the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is half written already so you shouldn't have to wait that long for an update.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter guys! 
> 
> And please don't fight in the comments... You can have different opinions and still be nice to each other.

"Costia! Please come in." Lexa greeted as her ex-girlfriend entered the apartment.

"How are you Lexa?" Costia asked, removing her coat and handing it to Lexa.

"I'm fine. Thank you for coming. We need some help."

"Of course."

"Here's Octavia. Octavia, Costia." The two women shook hands politely after Lexa introduced them to each other. After spending hours looking for proof against Cage, Lexa had concluded that she needed help, professional help. With Octavia in the police and Costia's skills at investigating financial crimes, it was the team she needed.

"Nice to meet you Costia."

"Likewise. So what is this all about?"

"Right." Lexa said. "Would you like some tea before we begin? Peppermint?" she asked, knowing it was Costia's favorite and her ex answered with a nod.

"Okay here's what we have." Octavia began, showing the board of information Lexa had made while she spoke. "Cage Wallace. 42 years old. Apparently single. Vice principal of Mount Weather. No criminal record. Lexa thinks he's stealing money from the school. But i couldn't dig deeper without any evidence."

"Thanks. What makes you think that?" Costia asked as Lexa put a cup of tea in front of her.

"I got suspicious when Cage imposed a very low budget on me for next year. He threatened me if i didn't agree. I accepted to sign his paper then i asked other teachers about this, wondering if maybe i was the only one having a budget cut but no. It seemed we all were victims of this and the principal doesn't seem to be aware of it. I went to Cage's office and discovered this." Lexa handed Costia the papers signed by Dante of the 2018 budget.

"I don't see..." Costia said before Lexa cut her, giving her another paper.

"Cage made his father sign this budget, except with the help of the other teachers who gave me their papers i did the math, and this would be the actual budget."

"It's quite the gap." Costia said silently, studying the documents in her hands. "But maybe they just diverted the funds for another part of the budget."

"I doubt that. Lexa found the budget for this year and it's supposed to be the same as next year. And according to the amount of money raised at the gala this year again, i don't think the school is in any trouble concerning money." Octavia declared.

"Ok. So you want me to find proof that this guy is stealing money so we can get him arrested."

"Yes." Lexa confirmed, waiting for Costia's answer.

"Alright, i'll help."

"Thank you."

"Anything else that i should know?"

"He might be working with someone. Nia Frost."

"Frost? Like in the lawyer firm?"

"Yes. Is this going to be a problem?"

"On the contrary. I know someone who works there." Costia explained with a smirk. "She should be able to help me on that. I'm gonna need a copy of all you have gathered so i can study it and start investigating."

"Already done." Lexa said, handing a few files to Costia. She knew she was a meticulous person and even more when it was about work.

"You know me so well." Costia flirted, taking the files and Octavia cleared her throat, voluntarily or not, Lexa was glad she did. She didn't call Costia here to flirt with her, it was only work.

"Maybe we should exchange numbers in case we need each other's help on something." Octavia said, taking her phone in her hand.

"You're right."

"I gotta go." Octavia announced after she wrote Costia's number. "Keep me posted." she said to both of them before leaving.

"Will do. Take care Octavia. I'll see you Saturday."

"Yeah. Bye girls."

"Bye." Costia answered before turning back to Lexa. "So, how are things going with your girlfriend?" Jesus, she wasn't even trying to be subtle about it...

"Good." Lexa lied defensively, her heart clenching at the mention of Clarke. "Look Costia, i called you because i need your help, if you can't do..."

"Lex i'm just trying to be your friend. I'm not flirting with you." Costia cut, understanding where Lexa was going and she started putting the files in her bag. "I should go too, i have some reading to do."

"Costia i'm sorry." Lexa apologized, she didn't mean to assume but she misread Costia.

"It's fine. I shouldn't be so invasive, we're not there yet. It's gonna take time for us to be friends again."

Lexa nodded, not knowing what to add. "Thank you for helping with this." She was truly relieved that Costia had accepted to help her and Octavia in their investigation.

"Of course Lex. See ya." Costia smiled, leaving the apartment.

Lexa put all her documents away from the table and got herself ready to join Lincoln for a little run. Since her fainting incident, she had been taking her training more lightly. Lincoln was still a bit worried about her but she felt fine. She didn't push herself.

"Everything went fine with Costia?" Lincoln inquired during their run.

"Yeah she agreed to help us."

"Good. It means that Cage shouldn't bother us for much longer."

"I hope so."

Lincoln nodded silently, and they kept on running quietly for a few minutes before he asked how Lexa was doing.

"I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Lexa."

Lexa felt her heart clench thinking about Clarke. "I miss her." she admitted.

"Why don't you go tell her that?"

"It won't change the fact that Aden didn't like us being together."

  
*****

It can be hard to get what your child is feeling. Finn knew Clarke had tried to talk to their son about Lexa but she didn't get anything from him. He also had tried, hoping that he could help her but Aden had not wanted to talk about it with his father either. Finn was sad for Clarke, if at first he wasn't that happy about her dating Aden's teacher, he saw Clarke happier than ever when she was with Lexa. It was a delicate situation and he felt sorry for the both of them that it had to end this way.

This evening as the father and son played with some legos, Aden opened up.

"Dad, i think Mommy is sad." he said, not stopping the building of the tower in front of him.

"Why do you think that?" Finn asked, trying to hide his surprise at his son's confession.

Aden shrugged and Finn didn't push him to say more. Waiting to see if he was going to continue.

"Ms Woo...Lexa. Mommy told me she wasn't going to come home anymore. And now she looks sad."

"She is sad." Finn confirmed. "She really liked Lexa you know but sometimes things get in the way and people break up."

"Like you and Mommy?"

"Like me and Mommy."

"I liked when Mrs Woods was at home with us. Her dog was nice. I like dogs. Can i get a dog?"

"We will have to discuss that with your mother okay?" Aden nodded and Finn tried to get the conversation back on Lexa. "So Mrs Woods was nice too?"

"Yes. But i wasn't nice to her." Aden confessed with guilt.

"How so?"

"She tried to play with me and talk but i didn't want to. I was mean. It was weird because it wasn't like at school. It's my fault that Mommy is sad." Aden explained, a little tear rolling down his cheek.

"Hey hey buddy, no." Finn immediately put his son in a tight embrace. "Of course it's not your fault. None of it is your fault okay?" He felt his son nod against his chest as he rocked him like when it was a baby. He waited a few minutes, so Aden had calmed down, to talk to him again. "You know Aden, me and Mommy we are going to date people and these people are eventually going to live with us. Sure we would need to make a few adjustments so everyone is happy but it will happen. We should have talked about that with you before." Finn admitted to his son but also to himself, recognizing that he and Clarke had made a mistake. "We want you to be happy but we want to be happy with other people too, you see what i mean?"

Aden nodded. "I want all of us to be happy."

"Me too Aden. Me too." Finn kissed the top of his head.

*****

Clarke watched as Raven left the bar, leaving her alone, she didn't care. If she was only there to blame Clarke then she could go. She quickly made her way to Nyilah's table. Her friend introduced her to the rest of the people. She had already seen a few of them. At one point of the evening, Clarke stopped drinking. Immediately thoughts of Lexa came back to her head and she needed to get her out of there. Niylah seemed like the perfect way to do so.

She felt Nyilah's hand on her thigh and her hot breath reached her ear soon after :

"Do you want to go back to my place?"

Clarke turned her head to the table realizing that everybody had finished their drinks, it was time to leave.

"The others are going to the club but if you wanna..." Nyilah continued.

"Yes let's go to yours." Clarke cut in quickly. If Lexa could be with someone else so shortly after their break up then surely Clarke could do the same.

"Alright." Nyilah nodded and got up, leading Clarke to her car with a smile after saying goodbye to her friends.

As soon as Nyilah closed the door of her apartment, Clarke was pushed against it and lips began attacking her neck. Clarke closed her eyes, trying to get lost in the feeling. She put her hand in the other woman's hair and a few second later Nyilah's lips were on hers. Clarke kissed back those lips, familiar yet unfamiliar, with very little fervor. Nyilah's hands wandered under Clarke's shirt, and Clarke wished that it was Lexa's fingers digging in her skin with hunger.

As much as she wanted to get into it she couldn't help but feel like she was cheating on Lexa. Sure the two weren't together anymore but Clarke was still in love with her and being with Nyilah didn't feel right. It made her sick, the guilt, and maybe all these drinks that she had during her time at the bar. Clarke put her hands on Nyilah's shoulders and ended the kiss abruptly. Nyilah looked at her, wondering why she stopped.

"I'm gonna be sick." Clarke said, putting her hand in front of her mouth and ran toward the toilets.

Nyilah came to the bathroom a few minutes later with a glass of water in her hand. She kneeled next to Clarke.

"You're feeling better?"

"Now that the content of my stomach is no longer there yeah." Clarke said quietly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'm glad you didn't puke on me when we were kissing." Nyilah laughed.

"Me too." Clarke nodded, as she stayed on the floor, waiting to see if the worst was past.

"I thought you had a girlfriend."

"I did. We broke up. I still love her. I'm sorry i can't do that." Clarke gestured between the two of them. She felt so guilty because of Lexa. Raven was right, she should have given Lexa the benefit of the doubt.

"It's fine Clarke." Nyilah shrugged. "Maybe you should sleep here tonight. You don't really look like you could handle another car trip."

"You're right. Thanks Nyilah."

"That's what friends are for aren't they?"

Friends. Raven. She would have to talk to her tomorrow. Not now. Right now she needed to sleep. She let Nyilah lead her back in the living room and fell asleep on the couch a few seconds after her head touched the pillow her friend brought her.

  
Clarke woke up on an unfamiliar couch, she blinked a few times before remembering what happened the night before. Her head hurt like a bitch. She turned to see a glass of water and a painkiller that she gladly took. She would have to thank Niylah for that.

"How's the headache?" Nyilah asked with a smile when Clarke put the glass down.

"Bad."

"Yeah you were wasted last night Clarke."

"I know, i'm sorry."

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

Clarke nodded and a few minutes later they were in Nyilah's car. Clarke thought about Raven, she remembered being a bitch to her friend. She needed to apologize to her. She thanked Nyilah for getting her home and taking care of her the night before. Clarke went up the stairs finding someone familiar waiting in front of her door.

*****

After dropping his son to school, Finn had decided to drop by at Clarke's, feeling that they needed to discuss about the whole dating situation and what Aden told him. He had rang the bell hoping that Clarke would still be at home with no luck. As he turned to leave he saw Clarke coming, apparently the night before had been hard on her.

"Hangover?" he smirked, taking a step back to let her open the door.

"Yes. I need to take a shower." she announced as they entered the apartment.

"Go ahead i have time." Finn nodded, going to the kitchen as Clarke left for the bathroom.

Clarke came back thirty minutes after, finally dressed in something else than her yesterday clothes and feeling a little bit better. She groaned in happiness when she smelled the bacon waiting for her in a plate.

"Damn Finn why did i ever leave you?" she joked, thankful that he made her breakfast.

He chuckled, sitting in front of her. "Eat before it gets cold."

Clarke complied quickly and ate as Finn asked her : "So where is Raven? She told me you too were going out last night?"

Clarke frowned, with the same guilty face that Aden sometime made. "I treated her like shit. I was such a bitch. I wanted to go see her this afternoon."

Finn nodded, knowing better than to get between the two. "I actually came by because i wanted to talk to you about Aden. I think we made a mistake." he explained "We should have talk to him about dating, way before you started dating Lexa. Last night he talked to me about it because he thought it was his fault you two broke up."

"It's not..."

"I told him it wasn't. And i know it's not. But Aden was lost. He told me he actually liked Lexa being at home with both of you but also that he didn't know how to act around her. That's why he wasn't very friendly with her."

"He never told me anything. When i asked him or tried to talk to him..." Clarke said with a sad tone.

"Me neither Clarke. I think he just needed time to understand what was going on and adjust to the situation."

"I fucked up. Everything." Clarke broke, holding her head between her hands and Finn could tell that she was crying. "I can't even tell what's my son is feeling. I'm such a bad mom."

"Clarke come on, don't say that." Finn reassured, walking next to her as she buried her head in his chest. "We didn't have the right approach of the dating thing. We both fucked up. Not just you Clarke."

She took a moment before thanking him, as she cleaned the tears from her cheeks. "We'll talk to him."

"I kinda did last night. I told him that we were going to date other people, either he liked it or not and that we wanted everyone to be happy. So i guess he'll be a little more open to talk to us in case there's a problem with the person we date."

"Alright. I'll still talk to him to let him know that we're on the same page but thank you for doing it."

"Sure. I should probably let you go see Raven. Seems like you pissed her off pretty bad."

"I did. I was the worst." Clarke confirmed, ashamed of herself.

"Nothing that can't be forgiven."

"I hope so."

Finn was going to leave when his phone started ringing and he frowned when he saw that the caller was actually Clarke's mother, Abby. "Why is your mother calling me?"

"What? I don't know. Answer." Clarke hurried him to take the call as she looked for her phone in her bag.

"Abby?" he answered.

"Finn. Where is Clarke? I can't reach her."

He could tell that his ex mother in law was tense.

"She's with me. Her phone is off or something." he explained.

"Put me on speaker Finn." Abby ordonned and Finn did as he was told, confused about what was happening.

"Clarke come here." he called for Clarke to come closer.

"Mom hi, what is it?" Clarke asked.

"Raven was in an accident. She was badly hurt. We don't know if she's gonna make it." All the colors on Finn's face disappeared as he heard the news.

"What? Mom. No! What happened? Finn we need to get to the hospital!" Clarke exclaimed as she started panicking. Clarke shook Finn's shoulder when he didn't react. "Finn!" he was in shock, trying to process everything. "Mom we're coming."

"Hurry please." Abby begged before hanging up on the phone.

"Finn please, we need to go." Clarke explained to Finn as she took her bag quickly and put on some shoes.

"Snap out of it please." She pleaded, taking his hands in hers. "Raven needs us."

"Raven."

"Yes." she nodded, letting him time to come back to his senses.

"I'm sorry, i..."

"I know." Clarke comforted him. She knew that he was probably having a flashback of the day they had to go to the hospital when his own mother died. It was a few months after Aden's birth, his mother had a heart attack and died before reaching the hospital. Clarke hoped that it wouldn't be the same this time.

"Alright let's go." He decided quietly, giving his car keys to Clarke. "You should drive."

"Ok." Clarke took the keys and followed him outside the apartment.

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long but i had a hard time figuring out how to write this one right so i hope you'll like it guys.

As they drove to the hospital, neither Clarke or Finn talked. Clarke was a nervous mess, trying to drive safely and not get them into a car accident. Finn looked like he was empty and Clarke doubted that he had gone to the hospital since his mother's death.

The drive felt like hours when it only had been about thirty minutes. Clarke parked Finn's car in a spot next to the entrance and they quickly went out of the car. Clarke walked fast and when she turned to her right to see Finn he wasn't there. The man was standing a few meters behind her. She went back for him.

"Finn." she called.

"I haven't been here since..." his voice so low that Clarke couldn't even tell if he finished his sentence or not.

"I know it's hard but they are waiting for us."

"I'm scared." Finn admitted, looking completely distraught.

"Me too."

"What if she..."

"She's gonna make it." Clarke cut in, trying to convince him but also herself that the woman she considered her sister would be fine. She had to. "Raven's a fighter."

"She is." Finn answered and started moving forward slowly. Clarke heard him take a deep breath and took his hand as they continued to the door.

"I'm with you." she tried to give him the courage and support he needed to finally enter the building. She felt Finn squeeze her hand gently, silently thanking her and they walked in.

They found Clarke's parents after a few minutes. Jake was holding Abby back as she was making a scene in the middle of the corridor.

"I can't believe they didn't let me into the bloc!" Abby was saying, visibly offended as Finn and Clarke got closer.

"Abby you know better than anyone that they can't let family operate on themselves. Look at yourself, you would be no good to Raven in the state you're in. Doctor Cartwig will do everything she can, you know that." Jake tried to calm his wife down.

"Here you are!" Abby exclaimed when she saw them standing a few meters away and immediately walked over to Clarke to take her in her arms and suddenly Clarke felt like a little girl, relieved to be held by her mother in this fearful situation.

"How is she?" Clarke heard Finn ask behind her.

"We don't know. She just left for surgery." Jake answered with a grave tone.

"What happened?" Clarke asked, getting away from her mother's hold as Abby dried tears from her cheeks.

"A drunk driver hit her when she was crossing the road. She got pinned between the car and a van that was parked in the street."

"Oh my God..." Clarke whispered, feeling her legs shake she took a sit on one of the chair in the corridor.

Finn, his hands pulling back at his hair, was looking powerless. Jake took him by the shoulder in a fatherly squeeze, like to reassure him and get him support. Clarke knew that her father was as worried as them but he was the one in the family who handled his emotions the best and he always tried to get it together to help everyone.

"Her leg was affected the most by the crash." Abby said, then she began adding some very technical vocabulary to her explanation of what was happening and Clarke lost track of what she was saying, her brain couldn't register all that medical nonsense when all she could do was worry for Raven.

Talking, explaining, thinking, making a diagnosis, that was Abby's way of coping with the stress and anxiety caused by Raven's accident. Clarke knew that Abby considered Raven as her own daughter, for all of them Raven was family. Being here all, together in this hospital hallway, waiting for a doctor to come and tell them...Tell them what? That Raven would be fine after she recovered from her surgery, of course. They couldn't think of anything else happening. It wasn't possible.

You could feel the tension getting thicker as the minutes passed without any signs of the doctors. Clarke was fidgeting in her seat, unable to find a comfortable position in the hard plastic chair of the hospital. Finn had stayed quiet for a while but Clarke noticed his leg shaking, clearly annoyed by Clarke's mother pacing up and down in front of them.

"Please Abby could we maybe stay quiet for a while?" Finn asked "I can't hear all of this doctor talk anymore."

Abby stopped talking, taken aback by Finn's interruption. She turned to him with a dark look in her eyes. Clarke and Jake looked at each other with wide eyes, fearing the worst.

"How dare you tell me to shut up?! It's my daughter in there! I have every right to be worried, i'm her family!" Abby snapped.

"I'm part of this family too Abby, not that you really ever liked me but i'm here for Raven." Finn replied angrily, getting up from his sit and standing in front of Abby.

It was true that Abby had never been fond of Finn even when Clarke and him were together but she didn't hate him either. Both of them were overreacting because they were anxious.

"Okay Finn why don't you come with me, we're gonna get some coffee for everyone." Clarke declared, rising up from her chair, she took Finn's forearm in her hand and pulled him back slowly. He said nothing as he turned away but Clarke could see that he was fuming. Jake made Abby sit down next to him and tried to calm her down too as Clarke and Finn walked away. Luckily the corridor they were in was desert so no one else had witnessed Finn and Abby's outburst.

"I can't believe your mom!"

"To be fair you kinda told her to shut up..." Clarke noted as they reached the coffee machine.

"I did, didn't I? I'm sorry." Finn apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "All that she was saying... I just can't imagine Raven not being well. I don't want that for her."

"I doesn't mean that it can't happen though. We should be prepared, just in case..." Clarke said, almost ashamed to think that and without meaning to, Clarke was crying again.

Finn's strong arms embraced her and she let herself cry in his arms. "She's gonna make it. She's gonna make it." He whispered in her ear like a prayer.

He released her from his hug when he no longer heard sobbing coming from Clarke.

"Aden!" he exclaimed. "We forgot about him!"

"He's in school." Clarke reassured.

"We should probably call a babysitter." Finn suggested to Clarke. "I want to stay and I know you want to be there for Raven too. She needs us."

Clarke nodded, she didn't want to leave either but they needed to tell Aden what was happening. "We can call a sitter and i'll go to his school to tell him about Raven."

Finn agreed and they called all the babysitter they usually used but unfortunately none of them could help. Clarke decided to go to school and pick Aden up.

"Don't be too hard on her, she's worried too." Clarke told Finn before they reached her parents with hot coffees in their hands.

"Alright."

"Here you go." Clarke handed the coffee to her mom as Finn did the same with Jake. "Still nothing?"

"No." Jake answered.

"Ok. I'm going to pick up Aden from school and stay home with him." Clarke informed her parents on what her and Finn had decided during their absence.

"Fine. We'll call you as soon as we get news about Raven." Abby promised.

"Thank you." Clarke left a few minutes after that, thinking about how she was going to handle that talk with Aden as she drove to the school. She could feel the stress rise as she made her way through the traffic and through the school's corridors.

*****

  
As usual, Lexa waited with the children at the end of the school for their parents to pick them up. Fifteen minutes after they went outside she was still standing next to Aden, Finn was late, Lexa observed. It wasn't the first time.

"Why don't we go back inside and wait for your dad, Aden?" Lexa suggested to the little boy who nodded, following his teacher back in the building.

"Ms Woods." Aden called, right after she closed the door of the classroom behind them.

"Yes Aden? What is it?" she asked him, he seemed a bit anxious and she hoped that the problem with him and Ontari was not back.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Lexa wondered, confused about Aden's words.

"Because i was mean to you and now Mommy is sad."

Lexa was left speechless, she didn't know how to answer such an unexpected declaration from the boy. It wasn't his fault his mother was sad, it was Lexa's. She thought that leaving her would be the best decision but it seemed like it only hurt everyone in the end. Of course Aden relationship with his teacher had significantly improved, they were back to their routine. He was being a polite and an interested student and Lexa had been both happy to see him like that but sad to see that it had taken Lexa and Clarke's breaking up for him to go back to the nice little boy that she grew to like. Seeing Aden being truly sorry and remorseful for his past behaviour made her feel like maybe she didn't make the right decision and that she could have been more patient.

"Aden." she began slowly, rising from her sit to go stand next to him. "It's not your fault your mom is sad. It's my fault, because i left."

"Why did you leave?"

"I..." Lexa hesitated, it was hard and a bit awkward to explain to him why she broke up with his mother. "I thought it was the best thing to do for everyone."

"Why?"

Lexa sighed, damn, kids could be persistent.

"When i was with you and your mom i felt like you were not happy and i never wanted that to happen."

"I wanted to be your friend but..." he shrugged, trying to think of the best words to describe his feelings.

"You didn't know how." Lexa finished his sentence, knowing that he would say to her the same thing that she had felt, and Aden nodded.

Lexa put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, she was going to tell him that she had felt the same way when she heard footsteps in the corridor. It was probably Finn. A few seconds later though, it was Clarke who appeared in the doorway. Lexa immediately knew that something was wrong, the blonde looked like she had been crying.

"Mommy!" Aden exclaimed, running into his mother's arms with a big smile.

"Aden." she greeted with a grave face. "I need to talk to you."

Lexa began walking toward the door "I'll leave you to it."

"It's fine you can stay." Clarke quickly said and Lexa started to worry.

"Raven is at the hospital."

"Why?"

"She was in an accident."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so." Clarke answered.

She pulled Aden in a hug as the little boy started crying. Clarke's teary eyes met Lexa's and she understood that Raven's state was bad. Clarke must have seen Lexa's distress as she heard the news and handed her her hand. As she fought the tears in her own eyes back, Lexa gladly grabbed Clarke's hand, looking for comfort as must as she tried giving it to Clarke with that simple gesture. Sure they had broken up but it didn't change the fact that they both cared for Raven.

"Are we going to the hospital?" Aden's little voice asked between two sobs.

"No baby, we're going home." Clarke said slowly, as she tried to calm him down.

She let go of Lexa's hand, who had found her composure back, and began stroking Aden's face to dry his tears.

"I wanna be with Auntie Raven!" Aden cried.

"I know, me too but it's not a place for you."

Clarke was right, waiting for hours in a place filled with sick and injured people was not something that Aden should endure. Lexa knew how much Raven meant to Clarke, they were family, and leaving the hospital not knowing how she was must have been hard on Clarke. Clarke probably wanted to head back there as soon as possible that is why Lexa suggested, crouching down next to Aden and Clarke :

"Maybe i could take care of Aden so you can stay at the hospital. If you want to, Aden."

Clarke looked at her with wide eyes not sure if she heard Lexa right. 

"Can we go see Clark?" Aden asked shyly to Lexa, rubbing his red puffy eyes at the same time.

Lexa looked at Clarke for a sign that would mean that she was okay with that because she was still silent. Finally the blonde nodded and Lexa answered :

"Of course Aden."

"Okay."

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked on a dubious tone to both Aden and Lexa and they both nodded, looking convincing enough for Clarke to accept Lexa's offer.

"Alright then." Clarke stood back up and Lexa followed. "Aden has his key in his backpack. I have his car seat in the back of my car. I'll give it to you. You know where everything else is. "

"Yes. Don't worry i'll take care of him." Lexa assured.

The three of them left the school, Lexa closing the doors behind them.

"We're gonna have to talk." Clarke stated when they reached their cars, not caring if Aden was listening.

"I know." Lexa agreed. "When all of this is over."

For now Raven was the priority, they didn't have time to discuss their break up or anything really.

"I should probably go then."

Aden hugged his mother tightly before she left. "You'll give Auntie Raven a big kiss for me."

"I will." she assured, kissing the top of his head. "Thank you Lexa. You didn't have to..."

"I wanted to. Call me as soon as you know something for Raven okay?"

Clarke nodded, kissed her son one last time and entered her car.

*****

"We're going to go to my apartment, go for a walk with Clark then we'll go back to your mommy's place alright?" Lexa explained to Aden, driving in the crowded streets of Arkadia.

Aden simply nodded and Lexa could see that he was anxious. Playing with Clark would probably help him get his mind off Raven's accident. Lexa herself was worried for her friend but she was here to support Aden not make him more nervous.

Lexa opened her apartment door and Clark rushed to Aden, licking his face like crazy. Aden giggled and pet him, struggling against the dog's enthusiasm to get into the apartment.

"Clark come on, calm down. Let Aden enter." Lexa ordonned with a smile as she pushed the dog back. "He missed you."

"Me too."

"I'm just gonna go grab a few things and i'll be right back okay?" Lexa asked, opening her bedroom door, leaving Aden to play with the dog. She quickly put a few clothes in her backpack and got out of the room to find Aden looking at the drawings on the wall, Clark sitting right next to him.

"It's my drawing!" Aden exclaimed, touching the paper with the tip if his fingers.

"Yes."

He kept looking at the drawings for a few seconds, not saying anything and got to Lexa's pictures on the wall.

"Mommy!" he observed and Lexa walked next to him to look at this picture.

It was a selfie of both of them on Lexa's couch, Clark photobombing them in the middle. They were both laughing and Lexa smiled at the memory. They had taken this picture the night before Clarke met Lexa's friends. It felt so far away now, so many things happened since but right now the memory of this moment warmed Lexa's heart, making her momentarily forget about their break up.

"I love that photo."

"Me too." Aden agreed, then Clark interrupted them, whining to get out.

Lexa grabbed his leash and turned to asked Aden if he was ready. They got out of the building and headed to the park after Lexa put her backpack in her car. Lexa and Aden played catch with Clark until he was tired and they decided to go to Clarke and Aden's place.

Lexa put her backpack next to the couch, she was going to sleep here tonight. She had had no ulterior motive when she asked Clarke if she wanted her to take care of Aden. She just wanted to help.

"What do you want to eat, Aden?" Lexa asked, opening the fridge to see what was in there a few minutes after they arrived.

"Can we get pizza?" Aden asked from the couch where he was playing with the dog.

"Sure." Lexa closed the fridge and went back to the living room. "Clark, get off the couch!" she reprimanded the dog. "Your mom doesn't want him on the couch." she explained to Aden as he pouted.

"Okay."

Lexa ordered pizzas for the both of them and came to sit next to him on the couch. She knew that he didn't have any homework to do, Lexa didn't give any to them this week. She took her phone out of her pocket but unfortunately no news from Clarke. Lexa really worried about Raven, Clarke had not gone out about the extent of Raven's injuries but Lexa knew that it was serious; and she hoped with all her heart that Raven would be okay.

They watched cartoons for a while and Lexa turned to see how Aden was doing, a bit bored by what was going on on the tv. Aden wasn't looking at the screen, he was fidgeting with his fingers, not saying anything.

"Are you okay Aden?" Lexa inquired worriedly.

"I'm scared." he confessed, still not wanting to face Lexa.

"I'm scared too you know."

At this Aden turned to her with wide eyes, not believing that Lexa felt the same way. She could see a few tears pearl in the corner of his eyes.

"I am. Raven is my friend and i know it must be even more difficult for you, you've known your auntie all your life and i know you love her very much." Lexa thought for a second, remembering her uncle Todd, her father's brother who had a heart attack when she was ten years old. "My uncle passed away when i was ten you know. I loved him, he was always willing to play with me and help me with all sorts of shenanigans, he was the funniest guy. It was tough at first and i still miss him from time to time but i have all these awesome memories with him that i will never forget and thinking of him...it makes me happy." Lexa didn't tell him that Raven was going to be fine, she didn't know that and as much as she wanted him to not worry, she didn't want to lie to him and forget this awful possibility. "It's normal to be worried but i'm here for you okay? Whatever happens."

Aden nodded and wrapped his little arms around Lexa, seeking comfort in his new found friend. Lexa returned the hug gently not saying anything but she was happy that Aden finally trusted her and was okay with talking with her. The doorbell rang and Aden jumped off the couch, excited for the pizza. Lexa smiled as she stood up, happy to see that he looked like he was feeling better, and walked over the door.

They ate dinner in front of the tv, then went for a quick walk again with Clark. Back at the apartment, Aden decided that they were going to watch Cars when Lexa asked him what dvd he wanted to see. When the credits rolled, Lexa decided that it was time for bed for Aden who nearly fell asleep during the movie. He grumbled a bit and after a loud yawn he admitted that he was tired. The little boy insisted on Lexa reading him a bedtime story, she happily obliged and left the room as soon as she saw him deeply asleep.

After a quick shower, Lexa went back to the living room with the spare blanket that usually was in Clarke's bedroom, she figured the blonde wouldn't mind that she borrowed it. She put the cushions that usually were spread on the couch on one end of it, making a good enough pillow for the night. Clark was already asleep, on the floor next to the couch. She lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over her body. Lexa checked her phone one last time, seeing no new text or missed call she put it down on the coffee table and tried to get some sleep.

Lexa woke up suddenly at 2am, not because her phone rang but she heard a scream and Clark had immediately started barking. Lexa quickly got up and hurried toward Aden's bedroom. She opened the door and put the lights on, coming to sit on the edge of Aden's bed. The boy was crying.

"Aden are you okay? What happened?" Lexa asked in a panic.

"I had a nightmare." Aden managed to say between two sobs and Lexa put her hand on her shoulder as she tried to comfort him.

"What was it about?"

"I was dead."

Lexa lowered her head not saying what to say. Of course the little talk that they had earlier had not been enough to stop Aden's worry. Lexa was a bit distraught but she promised Clarke that she would take care of her son and that's what she was going to do. Once again Aden reached for a hug and she let him cry on her shoulder. She rocked him in her arms slowly from side to side and she felt him calm down a little.

"It was just a nightmare okay? You're alright."

"But Auntie Raven isn't."

"We don't know if she isn’t. So, tomorrow your mommy is going to come back and tell us how Raven is. Until then, we need to sleep."

"Can you stay with me for a moment?" Aden begged, his eyes red with all the rubbing and drying his tears away.

"Sure." Lexa nodded, she put the covers back on the top of his body that had slipped out of the bed. Aden took a hold of her hand as he kept his eyes fixated on her, not saying a word. And in this moment, Lexa really hoped with all her heart that Raven was going to be okay or it would break this little kid. She didn't know if she could bear to see him lose someone. She wanted to protect him. Maybe it was what it meant, being a parent.

 

 


End file.
